Dreaming Of You
by CatMuto
Summary: Learning of Helios' supposed death, Chibiusa succumbs to her grief and is trapped inside her ideal dream world. Will she return to the real world or stay in her dream, where she is happier? Oneshot Collection! ChibiusaxHelios/RinixHelios
1. Dreaming Of You

**Cat-Alin does not gain any profit by writing or publishing this story.  
All characters are owned by Naoko Takeuchi and TOEI Animation.**

A new story, this time Sailor Moon based - the first one I ever actually wrote!  
Originally, I just wanted to draw a few Chibimoon pictures of her grown up,  
then made some ChibiusaxHelios pictures and in the far end of my mind,  
a plot formed around one thing .. and I ended up making a 'season'.

But, I don't have everything planned out yet. And since I want to give my  
share of love to the ChibiusaxHelios section, you'll get the original idea  
out of my head. Some things may vary in later versions, though.

The story in it's entire glory will most likely be also drawn!

* * *

"Say that again."

The girl, who had spoken, stood in ruins made of white stone. At her feet were

the last remains of the broken crystal bell she had held onto for so many years.

Broken, it's glittering shards had distracted her for a moment. All she had been

able to do was to stare at the remains, replaying in her mind how she had

obtained the bell. It had been her last connection to her beloved priest.

Her team of soldiers stood behind her, ready to strike if needed, but waited,

perhaps their leader would give them a signal .. but it didn't seem likely as she

stood transfixed and stared at her opponent.

"The Elysian Priest, Helios, is dead."

The girl flinched again, as she had when it was first said, and tried to keep

herself composed. What sort of soldier would let herself get upset over words?

There was no reason for her to believe it - granted, ever since Nehelenia's defeat

she had heard nothing of him. But they had promised to meet each other again.

She knew Helios. He wasn't one to break promises. He would meet her again,

wether it was in reality or a dream. Like the way they had met the first time.

"The priest is dead. And _I_ was the one to kill him." the voice was intoxicating,

despite not wanting to hear it, the girl listened. She listened, envisioning everything.

The surroundings - the lake with the shrine on a little island in the middle, the priest,

every little detail played in her mind as she heard the words spoken by the foul one.

"Stabbed - right through the heart. I watched his body arch back from the blow,

the light leaving his eyes as he fell towards the ground-"

"Shut up!" the girl screams, her voice torn with sadness, and slipped towards the ground.

Her legs weren't able to support her any longer. "Helios ..!"

Her team stepped closer to her, trying to console her.

A golden glint travelled suddenly through the air and before they realized it, a golden needle

was stuck in the grieving girl's chest. As suddenly as it had appeared, it dispersed and left

no trace of it's existence. The girl's eyes grew dark, then they closed and she fainted.

"Sailor Moon ..!" her team gasped and supported her.

The red-haired companion picked the girl up, while the others were checking for any injury.

There was none and they sighed in relief when the girl opened her eyes again.

Something was wrong - her eyes, instead of their bright ruby color, resembled garnets

and seemed to see nothing and look through everything. "Helios .." she muttered calmly.

Her companions grew worried and, after the red-head picked the girl up, they left the ruins,

returning to the Crystal Palace, hoping for an answer there.

* * *

_A soft ground .. and a gentle breeze._

_Chibiusa slowly opened her eyes - she felt horribly tired and yet fully awake._

_Above her, a weeping willow's veil of leaves danced in a light breeze, revealing a soft blue_

_and pink strewn sky._

_She sat up and held her head, it pounded hard and made her feel dizzy at first._

_Looking around, she realized that she was sitting in dark green grass with little specks of_

_white and pink telling of blossoming flowers. Around her was a huge lake of azure color,_

_it stretched as far as she could see and even longer. Leaning over to get up,_

_Chibiusa saw her reflection in the water and gasped for a moment._

_She wasn't her usual, adolescent form - she had returned to the way she had looked_

_when she was in the 20th century. Still wearing her soldier uniform, she had reverted_

_back to the height she had been back then. Her hair was back to being short and_

_in two big puffs._

_"Maiden"_

_Chibiusa started and hardly dared to look up. That deep, calm voice that enchanted her_

_whenever she heard it. That had spoken to her every night in her dreams back then._

_She saw his reflection before she got the courage to look up. There he stood on the lake._

_His silver hair hanging carelessly over one eye, the eyes themselves piercing her_

_with their golden gleam and the red jewel on his forehead barely visible._

_"Come to me, my maiden .." he said and stretched out his hand._

_Like pulled from an invisible wire, Chibiusa stood up and, blinded from unshed tears,_

_she dashed out onto the water without a second thought. The moment her foot made_

_contact with the wet surface, she glowed for a second and was dressed in a long ballgown._

_Stumbling a bit from the sudden weight, Helios held her hands to stabilize her, and Chibiusa_

_looked at the gown. It was in a similar design to the dress she had worn as a princess,_

_but it was a soft yellow color and the skirt had only two layers._

_Helios squeezed her hands slightly and smiled when Chibiusa looked up at him, a faint blush_

_on her cheeks. Her ruby eyes still glistened, but her lips stretched to a beautiful smile._

_"Helios .."_

_"Let us dance, maiden .." Helios said and a soft tune began, so soft that it seemed it_

_didn't exist, it seemed to be one with the air. Chibiusa nodded softly while she moved this_

_and that way, following Helios' lead. Enjoying the occasional twirls she made and_

_feeling the warmth when her arm lay upon his, holding her waist. Finally, she rested_

_her head against his chest, continuing to dance with her very own Prince Charming._

* * *

"King!"

The four girls, now no longer transformed, bowed with slight surprise to their king.

How he had found out about the trouble so soon was a mystery to them, as they themselves

had just arrived in the princess' chambers. The princess lay in her bed now, untransformed

and dressed in a gown, her long candyfloss colored hair spreading out over the ivory sheets.

"What has happened?" asked the king in a worried voice, the one who never lost his head.

"We're not quite sure ourselves, Endymion-sama." said the girl who had yellow flowers strewn

through her pink ringlets. "She fainted, but it seemed like she regained consciousness again."

"If that's so, why isn't she responding?"

"Pallas is worried!" the blue haired girl sighed and looked at the seemingly sleeping princess,

who still had those deep set eyes. Though she had them mostly closed now, there was a slight

smile tugging at her lips. "Helios .." she sighed slowly again, the only thing she said now.

"Helios? Ceres, what happened?" Endymion asked, worried what his daughter was going through.

"Well .."

"We're not sure, your Highness. She got into this state after a needle hit her .."

"A needle?" Endymion pondered, wondering how a little thing like that could cause such a condition.

A general sigh went through the round, all sat down from exhaustion. It seemed grim for the kingdom.

Not only was their Queen taken hostage, but the heir to the throne was in no fit condition to fulfill

her duties as the princess or a soldier - nobody from the kingdom knew this, of course, but without

further action, they weren't sure what to do.

* * *

_She knew now where she was. Elysion._

_Just after their defeat against Nehelenia - Chibiusa had found the unconscious, presumed dead, Helios_

_and with her Pink Moon Crystal showing itself, she had managed to revive him. That momentary bliss_

_was where she was stuck now. After the defeat, but before Helios had used his Pegasus to bring_

_all of the soldiers back to their surface._

_Caught._

_In that one moment of peace._

_Forever._

_Chibiusa smiled to herself as she leaned against the willow's trunk, her skirt pulled up a bit as her feet_

_dangled slightly in the cool lake. The breeze had stopped, the atmosphere seemed to get warmer_

_and she looked down at the priest. He was lying next to her, his head in her lap. Helios had closed his eyes,_

_his mimic of peaceful sleep and his lips slightly parted._

_Carefully, Chibiusa wiped a few strands of loose hair and couldn't help but think how happy he looked_

_in his sleep. Both knew, though, that he wasn't sleeping. A treacherous smile tugged at his lips,_

_he enjoyed her gentle touch and so did she. Both merely enjoyed the company of the other,_

_not wanting anything to disturb it._

_To go on like this._

_Chibiusa bent down slightly, kissed Helios' forehead and felt sudden tears springing into her eyes._

_Up to now, she hadn't realized how much she had missed him. Since Nehelenia's defeat and her return_

_to her own time, she hadn't heard from him. Anything at all. Every day and night, she had hoped to see him_

_in her dreams, looking for a sign that it hadn't been just a dream, after all._

_Yes, she had dreamt a few times of being in Elysion again, but those were mere dreams. She could tell._

_It hadn't felt right, it didn't seem like the time she had spent with Helios in the actual Elysion._

_Flying by his side through the night sky when he turned into a Pegasus._

_Now, though, she realized how lonely she had been without him - like a part of her that was missing_

_and it was being returned now. Just sitting there, Helios close by, hearing is steady breathing and his warmth_

_against her, she could feel her heartbeat calming itself. And with every beat, it felt like her heart was being_

_healed after so many years of pain having torn it apart._

"..chan"

_Chibiusa flinched and strained her ears. Just now, she had heard someone. Or something._

_Helios, who had noticed it, looked at her with his deep set golden eyes._

_"Maiden? What's wrong?" he asked her._

_"Ah, m-mm." she shook her head slightly. "It's nothing."_

_Helios smiled at her, his hand caressing her cheek and pulled her head a bit down, letting their lips meet._

_Chibiusa slowly closed her eyes, reciprocating the kiss._

* * *

With anticipation in the air, Endymion entered Elysion with Vesta, Ceres and Pallas.

The lake around them glittered with the reflection of crystals poking through the water's surface

and the pink-blue sky seemed like eternal sunrise. The four of them were walking towards the shrine,

their gaze turning to both sides to see if they might find the princess' soul or consciousness here.

There was nothing to see, though, except the water and, in a short distance, the shrine made of ivory.

"I hope Helios-sama can help us .." Ceres muttered.

She had told of hearing of Helios' death, but the king immediately said that it would be impossible.

Had Helios died, he would've noticed something - their symmbiotic connection would've alerted him.

Their thoughts then strayed to asking Helios if he knew what was going with the princess and

if he knew a way to help - at the same time, they thought that the princess might be caught in a dream.

And perhaps they'd be able to see her, however faintly, in the dreamworld that was Elysion.

"Pardon, King, but you mustn't continue."

The two shrine maidens stepped into their way.

"I must speak with Helios, it's urgent." Endymion said, though, not about to let himself get stopped

so easily. Not if his daughter's health might be at risk. "Serenity is-"

"We know of her condition, King." said the left maiden, nodding solemnly.

"Helios-sama noticed it himself and has since then been praying." the other said, motioning with her gaze

to the top of the shrine's stairs, where a white figure was kneeling.

Endymion and the three girls were quiet, thinking that their rushed journey seemed moot now.

Obviously, the priest of dreams already knew something was wrong and was doing all he can,

while they couldn't think of anything, except waiting for something to happen.

At the shrine's alter, Helios was kneeling on the ground and his hands folded in prayer.

A while ago, someone's deep slumber had confused him - usually, nobody slept so deeply.

How it had surprised him when he realized that it was his maiden!

Worried, he couldn't help but wonder what she was dreaming of .. and before he really

saw her dream clearly, a feeling of longing had hit him.

Like a fist that clenched his heart, the sensation had made him faint.

He hadn't realized just how much his maiden had missed him over the years.

While he had longed and wished to meet her again, when he felt her longing for him,

it seemed to pale in comparison. He had thought of keeping his distance for while.

Re-appearing just as she returned to her own time didn't seem right - he wanted to wait,

wait a bit so she could readjust to her normal life. To finish her training as a soldier.

And after that, he realized what a beautiful lady she had become - she seemed even prettier

than the vision he had of her all those years back .. surely, she had many admirers to court her

and would soon forget about the priest.

"Chibiusa-chan .." he muttered softly.

Helios shook his head violently and tried to concentrate on his maiden's dream,

trying to reach out to her, to get her to wake up. The dream was merely a dream, after all.

And again, visions of the dream appeared in his mind, his dream-self and his dear maiden

dancing across the lake .. Helios couldn't help but gaze lovingly at her face, the way her

ruby eyes seemed to sparkle like they wanted to rival the lake. Her lips parted in a wonderful smile.

That longing feeling hit him again and Helios tried to concentrate - he had to wake her up!

He had to.

Even if it meant to take that smile away from her ..

* * *

_Her skirt swishing out, dancing with her, Chibiusa moved deftly over the lake._

_The water felt like smooth silk on her bare toes and turning around once again,_

_she saw Helios quietly watching her from the willow._

_Seeing him like that, sitting on the grass and watching her, the willow leaves blowing in a breeze_

_and his silver hair, the white clothes .. it made a startling contrast to the sky which started to turn pinker._

_Blushing slightly from his gaze, Chibiusa began to dash lightly back towards him and, when she reached him,_

_leapt into his arms, falling onto the soft ground with him._

_"Maiden?" Helios asked, surprised over her sudden action._

_Chibiusa shook her head, nuzzling her face deeper into his shirt, drinking in his scent._

_She couldn't tell him her thoughts - how his light figure seemed like a ghost and_

_how she had thought he might be disappearing again._

"Chibiusa-chan .."

_"Mh?"_

_Helios' hand on her back tugged her a bit closer. "What?"_

_"Mh, nothing." she muttered into his shirt. "I thought I heard something."_

_The sunlight nuzzled her and Helios' warmth made her feel as comfortable as she hadn't been for a while,_

_Chibiusa started to feel a bit sleepy. She felt herself starting to drift off, but held an iron grip on Helios,_

_to make sure he wouldn't disappear suddenly._

* * *

Juno walked in impatient circles around the princess' room.

It irked her that there was nothing to do, except watch her mistress sleep soundly on her bed.

She hadn't moved the entire time, her hands still folded together over her chest. Only her head

had cocked to the right once, but otherwise nothing had been going on.

Just as Juno wondered how long her companions and the king had been gone,

they entered the room again with expectant glances to the princess, than herself.

She shook her head, giving them an answer.

"Well, Helios can't help." Vesta said and sat down with a sigh.

"That's not quite it." Ceres argued. "He's trying to reach the princess in her sleep, but as to how

well it's working .. or if, at all .."

Juno pondered for a while. "Does he know why she's like this?"

"He was busy!" Pallas answered. "And the maidens told us that the princess seems to be reeeaaally asleep!"

".. That's all?" the green haired girl sighed, knowing how bad Pallas was at details.

Knowing nothing new, they resumed their duty of watching and waiting.

Time passed slowly and despite the princess mumbling "Helios" a few times,

she remained quiet otherwise and the longer she stayed like this, the less hope they had left.

The sky darkened and nothing changed, even when they saw glimmers of the sunrise approaching.

Their hope almost extinguished, Endymion got up and opened the door of the slightly illuminated room,

then stopped.

Something made him turn around and he stared, just like the four girls, when Helios suddenly appeared,

his light clothes seemed transparent in the gleam of the rising sun and he looked like a ghost,

but he wasn't. It was Helios himself and no illusion.

Having no eyes for anyone but the princess, he approached her bed and kneeled beside it,

grasping one of her hands between his. His deep voice cracked with something that was, without doubt,

desperation, "Chibiusa-chan, please ..!"

Helios held her hand tightly between his, almost whispering into it while repeating her name,

continuing his prayer to her through direct contact.

* * *

_Chibiusa opened her eyes and noticed that she was in a different place of Elysion now._

_The little island with the willow was a good hike downwards, in the middle of the lake,_

_and she sat on top of one of the many green hills, seeing the panorama of the lake,_

_the crystals rising from it and across the wide pink horizon._

_"Beautiful, isn't it?" Helios asked her and she realized she had been sitting between his legs,_

_leaning against him as a substitute pillow and her hand still gripping his shirt._

_Chibiusa nodded and got up, walking around the hill a bit to see the entire view._

"Chibiusa-chan ..!"

_Flinching, she stopped in her tracks and held her head, it was pounding again._

_"Maiden? Are you alright?" Worried, Helios was about to get up but Chibiusa turned towards him_

_and shook her head with a smile. "I'm fine."_

_Watching the scenery, she tried to calm down. The headache subsided soon enough_

_and she inhaled deeply when a breeze carried the scent of flowers towards her._

_Looking back at Helios she saw that he had been watching her, there was still some worry in_

_his eyes, and he held his hand towards her, inviting her to him again._

_Chibiusa smiled and took his hand._

"Please ..! Chibiusa-chan .."

_Helios saw her flinch again, her eyes opened wide in shock. She looked right through him_

_at something that seemed to frighten her, she shivered like crazy and didn't dare to move for a while._

_"Maiden?" He carefully reached out and caressed her cheek._

_Chibiusa's gaze focused back on him and she hung her head slightly, her free hand holding his against her cheek._

_"No .." she said quietly, her voice shaking as much as her body did._

_Before he could ask what she meant, she threw herself against him and wrapped her arms around his back,_

_like she never wanted to let go._

_"Maiden, wh-" Helios couldn't finish his sentence as Chibiusa kissed him with a surprising amount of force_

_and as the kiss broke, he saw her eyes glisten with tears._

"Chibiusa-chan, wake up ..!"

_"No!" Chibiusa looked directly into Helios' eyes and saw herself reflected in them, her tears finally streaming_

_down her face, as she almost crawled onto his lap, desperately trying to prolong any form of connectiong with him._

_"I'd rather live in a dream, than return to a world you aren't in!"_

* * *

Serenity woke with a start and grabbed her pillow, which was damp with her tears.

She was ready to lash out at the one that had woken up from her beautiful dream

and turned - then stopped suddenly.

Happy faces of her companions and that of her father were unimportant and ignored,

her gaze firmly focused onto the golden eyes of the silver haired man, kneeling next to her bed.

Letting go of her pillow, she started to reach out for him and hesitated.

Scared to find out that _this_ was also a dream and that she couldn't touch him,

but would wake up again and not find him anywhere.

Almost like a confirmation that it wasn't so, Helios took hold of her hand and kissed it lightly.

"Welcome back, beloved maiden." he said gently.

Too shocked to say anything, she bit her lips to keep herself from crying anymore.

Helios stood up and, with a bow to her, he turned and was about to leave,

but he felt something stop him and saw the princess' hands holding his arm.

She kept her face pressed against his arm, not showing her expression, but her shaking shoulders

told the tale and her grip wouldn't loosen.

"Chibiusa .." Helios smiled a little and sat down onto the bed's edge.

Now knowing that the princess was out of any sort of danger, the four girls and the king left the room,

trying to be as quiet as possible and closed the door softly.

Helios freed his arm and embraced the princess, holding her close. She still tried to maintain her

composure and keep herself from crying, but failed to do so and slowly all her feelings came out.

Her shock and grief, how she realized that she had been happier in her dream - yet also the

happiness of knowing that Helios was alright and with her at that moment.

Slowly, she calmed down and both were quiet.

Helios' hand travelled through her hair, playing with a few loose strands.

"You've grown into a beautiful lady."

"You're mean .." she whispered.

Helios didn't say anything, merely continued to play with her hair and a comforting arm around her.

"You left me alone for so long." she said, shaking her head slightly at her disbelief and disgusted with

herself, as these weren't the words she really wanted to say. "And now you wake me up from the

dream I've hoped for .. for so long .."

"I'm sorry." he said with a chuckle in his voice, holding her closer. "I was insecure, I guess. I've watched you

turn into a lady, your dream being fulfilled. I thought you'd marry a prince and forget an old promise."

"What are you saying?" she asked and leaned her head back to look into his eyes. "You're my only .."

Despite the tearstreaks on her face, Helios saw the most beautiful lady in the world and leaned down

to kiss his maiden, after waiting so many years for her.

A way down the crystal hallway outside of the princess' room, the four girls were standing with the king,

talking about how the princess was doing much better now.

"Once the princess has recovered, we can continue the search for her Highness." Ceres said with a happy clap.

"True, but where could she be hidden?" Vesta said and a discussion started, stating every possible place the

Queen might have been taken to.

Time was making a fool out of them as it passed faster than they had expected and the sun was standing

straight up in the sky, when at the far end of the hallway, the door opened. The princess rushed through it,

holding Helios' hand and pulling him along.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!" she called out and stopped when she was close to the group. Both she and Helios

looked rather flustered and with flushed cheeks, gasping for breath. "I'm really .. very sorry for having made

everyone worry about me. I'm sorry."

The group smiled at her, giving her encouraging pats on the back.

"As long as we can count on Sailor Moon to fight well, it doesn't matter." Juno said with a grin and,

when the princess nodded, the four girls dashed ahead and Serenity was about to follow.

"When you return, I won't be here anymore." Helios said and she turned towards him. "I will have returned

to Elysion, as it is my duty."

She studied him for a moment with what seemed like surprise and then stepped towards him, giving him

a short kiss on the lips before turning around to leave again.

"You'd better visit me in my dream or I'll have to return to Elysion and _force_ you to do so!" she said,

a bright smile and laughter, running to catch up with the other girls.

Helios nodded and watched his maiden grow fainter, her laughter still ringing in his ears.

* * *

Please ignore the first paragraph. The story doesn't get important until Chibiusa is inside Elysion.  
I hope you enjoyed this story/chapter - I basically stayed up all night twice in a row to finish it.

Originally, the chapter would continue on with the fight against the previous enemy and  
Chibiusa gaining a new power. However, since this wouldn't really have anything to do with the  
story/chapter anymore, it will remain with it's ending here until I've drawn everything.

If you are curious what song might play during the dance, it's the first two minutes of the Pas de Deux from the Nutcracker.


	2. The Daughter's Feelings

**Cat-Alin does not gain any profit by writing or publishing this story.  
All characters are owned by Naoko Takeuchi and TOEI Animation.**

Decided to turn this into a collection of One-Shots.  
And I immediately continue with this, as I've just read a juicy story  
with Chibiusa and Helios and I haven't calmed down yet!

Anyhow, this is a short interlude - let's see if I can make you feel  
all warm and fuzzy the way Chibiusa does in this story.  
It could be that I change the format for a story suddenly.  
If something is hard to read or looks better differently, tell me so.

* * *

_The lake around them hissed lightly when a breeze flew over it's surface,_

_but otherwise there was no sound. Silence surrounded them._

_And even if, they wouldn't have noticed. They were in their own world._

_The young priest's silver hair fell slightly into his eyes and his gaze was_

_focused onto the rubyred eyes of his opposite. His hand was carelessly_

_twirling a few of her rose colored strands around his fingers, realizing_

_how different she looked with her hair open._

_It was hard to imagine the silky straightness, when she had it up in her_

_usual pigtails, that it would get thrown into wild curls when she opened them._

_The girl snuggled up a little more to him, hearing his heartbeat in her ear,_

_struggling to meet his golden eyes and feeling like he saw right through her._

_Pulling up her legs a little higher, she felt his arms tugging her closer to him,_

_like wrapping her in a silk cocoon and protecting her from everything._

_Feeling at peace, the girl closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment_

_and felt him move a bit, his lips touching hers. She reciprocated the kiss,_

_hoping that he couldn't hear how much her heart began to beat faster,_

_although both knew that it did._

_"Maiden" he whispered softly into her ear, sending shivers down her spine._

_His deep, yet soft voice intoxicated her - no matter how often he spoke._

_And she blushed slightly at the way he called her. It was an old term,_

_he had called her that ever since he found out that she was the maiden_

_that held the power to break the Golden Crystal's seal within him._

_"You're going to wake up soon" he said, kissing her forehead, his eyes_

_focusing on a spot far behind her in the forest surrounding. He tried to_

_hide it, but a wave of sadness was in his voice._

_The girl lifted her head fast and looked at him with a familiar expression._

_It was almost a natural occurrence whenever they met, it could almost_

_be timed when it would appear. Times when it appeared too soon,_

_and other, more blissfull times, where it seemed like they could spend_

_eternity together before it happened._

_Sadness was seen in her eyes, a desperate want to not do so and_

_a sense of longing, something that made her seem almost angry._

_Her eyes were burning, but she had learned how to repress her tears,_

_knowing that crying wouldn't solve anything or help. It would make them_

_feel just so much more worse._

_She finally nodded silently and lifted her head to give him a last soft touch,_

_almost a whisp of a kiss. They didn't break it off .._

* * *

Princess Lady Serenity opened her eyes slowly, feeling the silk pillow

beneath her face, slightly damp from recently fallen tears. With a quiet sniff,

she sat up in her bed and wiped the remaining liquid out of her eyes.

She sighed and tried her best to recollect everything from her last dream.

Somehow, her mind was blank and all she could remember, was a deep set

feeling of happiness and satisfaction.

This had become her regular routine for quite some time now - the wonderful

dreams with her beloved priest, the short moment of grief when awakening

and remembering everything. Then that good feeling swelling up inside of her,

carrying her through the rest of the day until she went back to bed,

knowing that another wonderful dream full of moments with him were waiting for her.

Serenity slowly got up, trying to focus a bit more and tottered into her en suite bathroom,

feeling the cold ivory floor under her naked feet. She missed the comforting warmness

from her bed and blanket, but sighed rather relieved when she saw that the maids had

already drawn a hot bath for their mistress.

Undressing quickly, she slid into the filled tub and let her mind waver while she soaked.

Of course, her mind immediately wandered to the dream, the hours she had spent with him.

Her priest greeting her in his usual fashion - a happy smile when seeing her run towards him,

kissing her hand while kneeling down. Or, if he was waiting impatiently for her or was missing her

immensely, he'd embrace her, leaning her back and kissing her lips right away.

Serenity sighed happily, just remembering made her feel so happy that it almost scared her.

The time spent with him seemed to string along, making her head feel light and fuzzy,

like some sort of wonderful hypnosis. Embracing her, his hand on her back and, sometimes,

his fingers sliding along her body. Pretending to be lost, pretending like it means nothing,

caressing her thighs slightly .. his touch excited her, thrilled her!

"Helios .." she sighed again, sinking into the water up to her neck and pretending that the

warm water enveloping her was Helios' arms.

* * *

A knock was heard against the shellwhite door and hearing a soft "Come in",

it opened and Serenity entered her parents' room quietly and closed the door again.

Queen Serenity sat at a dresser, busying herself with a stubborn pair of earrings.

"Morning, sweetheart." she said softly, a smile stretching her lips a bit.

Seeing her daughter so early was a bit unusual and something in her expression made

the Queen feel like there was a deeper meaning in this.

"What is it?" she asked, leaving the earrings alone and studied her child, hands folded.

Serenity stepped further into the room, past a tied back silk curtain close to the entrance

and kneaded her hands, not able to really look her mother into the eyes.

"I .. wanted to apologize." she finally said, knowing how weird this sudden anouncement might be.

"For what?"

"For .. well, some of my behavior in the 20th Century .." the princess mumbled, focusing her eyes

onto the ivory floor, following the intricate design on each stone.

The Queen remained quiet, not sure what her girl meant. But she decided that by being quiet,

she'd find out the reason for this so much more faster.

"Back then, whenever I saw you with Mamoru .." Serenity said, flushing slightly.

Searching for the right words, she tried it again and inhaled deeply.

"Back then - and .. even now, a few times, .. - the way you acted around Mamoru always

appeared rather .. stupid to me." she finally said, trying to explain more. "I mean, you changed.

You clung to him, you seemed to hang onto every little thing he said or did. Trying to act more

mature, to match up to him. It's like you wanted to spend your life, sticking to him and never

letting go. It always seemed so crazy to me!"

The Queen smiled a bit, thinking that she might sense where this conversation was going.

She nodded lightly.

"Ah, it might seem strange. I can assure you, there are times where I remember it and

I feel rather ashamed that I didn't seem more sure of myself back then." she said with a smirk.

Serenity nodded slowly.

"May I assume that you're point of view has changed?"

Her daughter looked her into the eyes now, her face flushed and a wide smile tugging at

her lips, her eyes sparkling when she talked again.

"Yes! When I think of _him_, I feel that time should stop - that it _did_ stop! There are times

where I want to tell him irrelevant things, just to hear him speak. To say my name.

To let his voice lull me into a sleep so deep that I won't wake up. Knowing how he feels about me,

it thrills me ..!" she stopped a second, her arms around herself and a wistful smile. "It almost

makes me feel superior to other women - knowing that it is _me_ who possesses his heart.

Knowing that, even if we are separated from each other - however short - it's me he thinks about."

Serenity sighed quietly, that feeling of missing Helios terribly already striking her.

She felt like she should head back to bed, just to see him again. To get rid of this horrible feeling,

even if she didn't feel tired at all, but quite awake.

"Just .. thinking about him .." she muttered more to herself, her hands on her chest, the thought

of Helios set her heart on fire. "Thinking of him, it changes the world - everything becomes soft

and fluffy, like nothing could destroy this delicate peace in me. Like I'm living inside a world where

nothing bad exists - a world in white feathers, full of smiles."

The Queen nodded again. "And times where you feel like you need to scream and shout,

just to get rid of those feelings so you can return to that small, delicate world for a bit longer.

That's what makes love so horrifyingly beautiful."

Serenity nodded again, her mother hitting the nail on the head - putting those feelings she got

at times into words. Like naming them would make them disappear altogether, make her content

with the time she spent with Helios and not give in to a small urge to remain in the world of dreams

for all eternity. But it didn't. She knew that, but felt better having heard of similar feelings

coming from her mother's mouth.

"So you have found someone you love deeply?" Queen Serenity asked.

Her daughter looked into her mother's blue eyes and slowly nodded, the blush on her cheeks

intensifying and a blissfull smile on her lips.

"I'm happy to know that you found the someone you love so much that you want to spend

the rest of your life with them. I really am." the Queen said, realizing, perhaps for the first time ever,

that the little girl who had once crushed on her father in a childish fashion had grown into a young

woman, experiencing love.

* * *

This one was actually rather easy to write.  
Much easier and faster than the first one.  
Perhaps because I'm in such a good mood myself today,  
that doesn't happen very often with me.

If you're curious, the lemon ChibiusaxHelios story I read was "The Perfect Night".  
If you don't think you can/want to read the lemon, read "To Make A Dream Come True".  
Both are written by Honest Beauty and on Fanfiction Net.


	3. A selfish Princess

**Cat-Alin does not gain any profit by writing or publishing this story.  
All characters are owned by Naoko Takeuchi and TOEI Animation.**

And once again a new chapter!  
I noticed that I'm rather emotional about the whole ChibiusaxHelios pairing.  
Maybe because I can't see my boyfriend either, unless I'm dreaming.  
Seriously, Chibiusa's line in chapter 1? Preferring to be in a dream,  
rather than return to a world where she can't see/meet Helios?  
Yeah, pretty much what I think when I dream of my boyfriend.

Seriously, knowing you're dreaming and preferring to stay there .. it's creepy!

* * *

Serenity sat on the railing of the balcony outside her room,

thinking about Helios. As usual. He was on her mind, all the time.

And just a few moments ago, she had woken up from dreaming of him,

she hadn't even bothered to put a robe over her nightgown.

The nightgown was barely anything - a sheer white layer billowed around her body,

a cream colored layer out of cotton hugged her chest and hips. And although it had

long sleeves, it wasn't exactly warm.

Not that she noticed it. Serenity was still grumbling over her dream.

It wasn't the kind she usually had - where she spent time with him, for real.

This .. was just a dream made up of her wish of seeing him.

He hadn't visited her in her dreams lately ..

Serenity sighed and became aware of the sun starting to rise,

the light hitting the walls of the Crystal Palace and bouncing off,

making a spectrum of colors spill over the balcony.

Usually, she enjoyed this view. But not today.

Helios filled her mind, occupied her every thought and her wish to see him

felt like it would burn her up, if it weren't fulfilled soon.

Suddenly filled with inspiration, she ran back into her room and took a few minutes

to brush her hair. All too soon, she dashed down the long, dark corridor with her old toy Luna-P

and finally found the door she was looking for.

With trembling hands, she opened it.

The fog obscured her vision for a minute and she stepped into the Time Space Corridor,

looking around for the soldier.

"Small Lady?"

Happy to hear the voice, despite the name not quite fitting her anymore,

Serenity almost jumped when she saw Pluto looking at her with surprise.

"Why, you've grown into a young lady ..!" Pluto gasped slightly, remembering the little girl

she used to be. Then her face turned serious. "What are you doing here?"

"Puu, might .. might I have a Key?" she asked before her courage threatened to leave her.

"A Key?" the soldier asked puzzled. "S- .. Lady, you know it's forbidden to time travel!"

Serenity had counted on that answer, but had tried to repress the possibility to be forbidden.

"It's .. I .. I don't want to travel through time .." she stuttered, trying to think of a way to

tell her what she wanted, but to keep it a secret as well.

And she wasn't quite sure how to say it .. would travelling to Elysion mean another world

or dimension? Her thoughts ran around in circles when Pluto's voice called her back suddenly.

"Do the King and Queen know where you are?"

".. Y .. yes .." the princess mumbled, remembering the short note she had left on her bed,

saying that she wouldn't be in the palace today, but would return tomorrow.

Pluto's eyes fixed onto her, making Serenity fidget slightly and knew the game was up.

No way would Pluto give her a key - especially since she knew Serenity, who had never

been very good at lying, had lied about her parents' knowledge. Or permission.

"I'm sorry, Princess. But I won't give you a Key." the soldier said and turned away. "You should

return home."

Serenity bit her lip for a moment - she had found a good solution to her problem,

but now Pluto was a hindrance. She had known that Pluto wouldn't agree - yet, somehow,

she had thought that Pluto, admiring the princess and having been her only friend for

such a long time, she'd do anything for her ..

Determined, the princess gripped Luna-P tighter.

"_Abracadabra - Pon_!" with a smack, Luna-P exhaled smoke that clouded up both of their visions

and Serenity dived for the keychain around Pluto's waist, luckily, she grabbed a key and

dashed back through the door she came in and barely stopped until she was in her room again.

Breathing heavily, Serenity leaned again the door and tried to calm herself down.

That was the second time she had stolen a key .. the first time was to travel to the 20th Century,

to get the Silver Crystal from the then-form of her mother, so she could use it with the 30th Century

Silver Crystal to cure her ill mother.

All that was done out of selfish reasons ..

This was different!

She held the Key tight in her hand, knowing that she could travel to Elysion now - in reality

and not just a dream - and see Helios. The thought of him made her stomach flutter with butterflies.

It felt like she hadn't seem him for years, although she knew it had only been a few days ..

Serenity inhaled deeply and wished to travel to Elysion, hoping that the Key would work.

* * *

The wind greeted her with a strong breeze, but then quieted down.

She was standing on the soft grass she had seen so often in her dreams,

the trees of different green shades were behind her and the lake straight ahead.

Excited, Serenity gingerly put her foot onto the lake and, realizing that she could walk on it,

hastened her steps towards the small white shrine on the water.

Her heart leapt ..! Soon, she'd see Helios again!

Under the archway of the temple, though, she noticed that nobody was there.

Looking around, she tried to orientate herself a little bit.

When she had been here and seen Helios, lying still in the cage, she had been blinded by fear

and just rushed towards him. She hadn't bothered about her surroundings.

A little bell tinkled and she gasped, wondering if there was someone here, after all.

But looking around again, there was no-one and yet the bell tinkled again.

Serenity calmed down and listened for that bell - it sounded so familiar ..

And suddenly, she remembered the glass bell she had gotten when she first met Helios!

Maybe it was leading her to him ..

It felt like she knew where to go and, walking along the side of the shrine,

she stepped underneath other archways and stopped whenever she wasn't sure where to go.

But always, like on cue, the bell sounded for a second and Serenity continued.

Finally, she gasped slightly in delight - standing under an archway decorated with chiseled ivy.

It was a small chamber, not really closed off and, the first thing that she noticed, were the

many books and bookcases along the walls and corners, laid in dark, rich wood.

And in a corner a bed fitted with white sheets, almost invisble due to his pale complexion

and silver hair, was Helios.

Lying peacefully on his side, he had one arm angled underneath the pillow and rested his head on it.

Serenity stepped closer, her feelings were ready to burst at the seams, yet she tried to stay quiet,

not wanting to disturb his slumber. So she studied him, like she hadn't seen him before.

His slightly curled hair fanned out a bit on the pillow, blending in perfectly

and his free arm and part of his chest were visible, as he was sleeping without a shirt on.

Blushing a bit, Serenity averted her eyes and looked around his room a bit more.

She walked slowly through the left archway and found herself in a small rectangular room,

a creamcolored stool in a corner, hardly anything else was in it. Her feet lead her through

the next archway and she stopped.

The steam warmed her already and shielding her eyes with her hand, she saw it.

It looked like a big bath, the surface stone shone and reflected her image slightly.

Perhaps it was made out of opal stones or similar. There were steps descending directly into

the water - a thick layer of steam lay on it's top, it felt like she had walked into an Onsen.

Feeling a bit awestruck, Serenity slowly turned back - it seemed like a holy place,

although she wasn't sure why.

Back in Helios' room, she sat next to the bed and watched him sleep.

For a few moments, she considered lying down next to him and closing her eyes,

but she didn't. Instead, she studied everything about his face.

His dark eyelashes curled slightly and were a strong contrast to his complexion,

his lips were slightly parted, the red jewel on his forehead was hidden behind several strands of hair.

Serenity crossed her arms on the bed and lay her head on them, transfixed by his appearance.

Even the priest of dreams needed his sleep at times .. it surprised her a little bit,

but the picture of him sleeping peacefully calmed her heart.

Now that she saw him, she didn't feel so bad and left alone like she had before.

Extending her hand slowly, she used her finger to trace along Helios' palm,

feeling his warm skin under her and she giggled slightly when his hand twitched and clasped around her own.

A few minutes passed where Serenity held Helios' hand and watched his sleeping face,

until Helios' eyes slowly opened - their golden color dulled at first, but bright and clear when he opened his eyes widely.

"Maiden?" he asked surprised and sat up fast.

Serenity straightened up herself and smiled a little embarrassed, not sure how to explain herself.

"What are you doing here?" his voice swung with worry.

"Lately .. well .." she muttered, avoiding his gaze. "We .. we haven't seen each other and .. I wanted to spend some time with you."

Helios squeeze their joined hands a little. "I've missed you, Maiden. But .."

She looked at him worriedly, trying to brace herself for any kind of bad news.

"I can't .." he said, looking hurt himself for having to disappoint her.

"Why ..?" she couldn't help but ask such a childish question, watching him get up and don his priest robes.

Helios smiled at her, "Don't get me wrong, I enjoy every moment we spend together. I even began

to enjoy them too much. I neglected my duty - not praying - and leaving it all aside for you."

Serenity looked a bit thunderstruck to the floor.

The priest extended his hand to help her up. "I'll take you back to the castle before I start praying.

The King and Queen are probably worried about you."

She took his hand and stood up, but refused to move otherwise. "I'm not going back, I don't want to.

My parents know where I am and I promised I'd be back the next day and I'll be fine .."

She knew she was stretching the truth far, the note had said nothing about Elysion or returning safe and sound,

but if she told Helios about it, he'd insist on taking her back.

"Please, let me stay."

".. I'll be busy most of the time. We won't really have much of each other .."

"That's enough .." she begged softly. "Knowing that we're in the same place is enough for now .."

She didn't want to confess to him, or admit to herself, how lonely she felt in the palace.

Like she was living in an entirely different world, completely isolated from him.

"Alright." Helios sighed quietly, his maiden knew how to soften him far too well.

He pulled her closer, kissing her eyebrow softly and enjoyed the feeling of her body against his,

her arms circling around him.

The lovers stood like that for a few moments, before Helios gave her a slight tug.

"Better leave before we start something we can't break off .." he said with a visible smile in his voice

and felt Serenity's lips kissing his cheek slightly before letting go and he left.

The princess watched him leave and, when she was sure he couldn't see her, sighed heavily and sat down on his bed.

She felt horrible - having pulled him away from his duty all that time ..

With a sudden pang, tears spilled out of her eyes and she curled up, trying to surpress her sobs.

She was so selfish!

She had stolen from her longest friend and broken ancient rules to see the man she loved,

had lied to him and was sure that her parents were worried about her, no matter what she might've written them.

And, perhaps as punishment for her selfish thoughts of spending the entire day with him, he wasn't able to be with her.

He had let every stride along to spend so much time with her, he neglected everything except her.

Trying her best to remain calm, or to at least be quiet, Serenity cried and wished that she could've changed

so much in the last few hours. Or even the few months, where she seemed to have done so much wrong.

She hope Helios couldn't hear her, she didn't want to be the reason he couldn't concentrate on his duty,

to take him away from it any longer ..

So she cried until she felt dried up and let herself fall on her back on his bed,

her skin hot and her eyes still burning a bit.

The bed .. still held some of his body heat and Serenity pulled his pillow close to her,

drinking in his scent slowly.

And, finally, the part of the night she had spent without sleep took it's toll and her eyes became heavy.

Nobody could quite say how long she lay there when Helios returned.

He smiled at the picture of his sleeping maiden, curled up with his pillow pressed against her chest,

like a small stuffed animal she kept with her at all times.

He lay down beside her and caressed her cheek, smiling to himself.

Well .. he could afford a short break for now.

* * *

This chapter almost became lost - meaning that it would've been put on hold and  
been released later, after having gotten over a stoney path.  
Other chapters would've been published in the mean-time.

I sort of wanted to put in a scene where Chibiusa got a little present from Helios,  
something that would carry on through the other coming chapters.  
But I'll implement that in a different chapter, perhaps.


	4. The forbidden dream

**Cat-Alin does not gain any profit by writing or publishing this story.  
All characters are owned by Naoko Takeuchi and TOEI Animation.**

Another chapter coming up!  
A romantic one with a few twists?  
Short synopsis for every chapter are going to be listed now!

"Chibiusa's behavior grows stranger over the week and her parents try  
to retrace anything that might've brought it up.  
Could it be .. the wedding bells have already rung?"

* * *

_The bells were ringing loudly for the happy couple .._

_The pink-blue sky seemed to glitter .._

_The girl looked into the man's eyes, seeing that he was just as happy as she was .._

Serenity slowly opened her eyes, feeling someone shaking her shoulder a bit.

Sitting up, she stared in a dazed fashion at her parents standing next to her bed

and noticed slightly worried expressions on their faces.

"Serenity?" her mother asked carefully. "I want to apologize for yesterday."

"We might've sprung it suddenly on you and we understand that it's very confusing,

but we think that, now that you've slept on it, you would be willing to listen?" her father said,

sitting on the edge of her bed.

The princess yawned slightly, focusing her eyes onto her mother's eyes and tried to stop the

room from spinning. It wasn't really working.

"Listen .. to what? What do you mean?"

Her parents looked confused at each other, then back at their daughter.

"The proposal we told you about yesterday?" the mother added carefully. "The engagement."

"Engagement?" Serenity gasped slightly, her eyes still unfocused. "I can't get engaged,

I'm already engaged to Helios, seriously, what the hell.."

And the last bit was lost in incomprehensible muttering as she fell back against the pillow

and slept again.

Completely stunned by her words, her parents took a while to collect themselves and,

seeing that Serenity wasn't about to give them anymore information, they left her room,

closing the door behind them.

"Engaged .. to Helios .." the Queen repeated, knowing that those words were ringing

in her husband's ears as well. "Has she been to Elysion lately?"

"Not that I know of .."

"Endymion-sama, Mylady Serenity!" four girls with fancy hair-accessories approached them.

"Has Serenity agreed?" asked the one with pink hair, similar to that of the princess.

"I don't see the big deal." the green-haired one said. "It's a good idea, the link between

the nations would grow stronger. Peace would continue."

"Considering her reaction .. I doubt it .." the redhead said and sighed deeply.

"Well .." the Queen muttered.

"She hasn't really given us a statement yet .." Endymion dodged the question. "Say, do you know

if Serenity has left the palace unattended lately?"

The girls, who were the appointed guardians of Princess Lady Serenity, all lifted their eyebrows

and looked at each other, wondering if the others knew anything.

"We don't watch her twenty-four/seven, Sir, but we don't think she _did_ leave."

"Pallas has an idea!" the blue-haired girl gasped and held a darkblue marble up. "_Watching Ball!_"

The marble puffed a bit and, about a tenth of it's size now, floated underneath the crack

between the door and floor, disappearing into the princess' room.

"It'll stay with her all the time!" the young girl giggled. "And it'll see anything she does,

and we can watch it, too!"

They noticed a second marble, about as big as her palm, in her other hand.

Clapping slightly at her good idea, Palla got congratulated, although the King and Queen

were still a bit worried about their daughter's words.

* * *

The tiny marble floated after the princess wherever she went.

Always close to the ceiling or on the ground - and if Serenity decided to rush through a door

and close it right behind her, it quickly landed onto her hair. She didn't feel it, it always seemed

like a little draft rushing through her hair.

So the hours went by without her knowing that she was under surveillance.

But there was nothing to be seen. She attended her decorum and other lessons,

spent her break in the garden, but never went anywhere where she might not be allowed.

At lunch, she only ate a few bits and pieces in a slow fashion.

"Something wrong?" her mother asked.

"Nothing. I just don't feel very hungry .." she answered, sounded still a bit groggy and tired.

After a few more bites, she asked to be excused and left the dining hall and walked slowly

onto the nearest balcony overlooking the big fountain in the garden.

Serenity felt tired and exhausted all day, like she could fall asleep any second.

"Serenity!"

"Juno .." the princess muttered, leaning against the railing.

"You look pale. You're not coming down with something, are you?" the green-haired girl asked

and sat on the railing, watching her mistress.

"I'm fine .. just tired." she put a hand to her mouth. "Uh, bit queasy, though .."

"Princess .. about yesterday, I think you should listen to your parents."

Serenity looked at her companion, who was also a good friend of hers, and frowned.

"I mean, strong connections between nations is important. And a marriage would strengthen them!"

Without answering, the princess dashed back inside and down deserted corridors

and finally collapsed in the bathroom. Inhaling deep and calm, she tried to keep the dizzyness

and neausea at bay. She felt flushed, like she was running a fever and the stone floor

felt cool against her.

Her breathing calmed and everything went blissfully dark.

_Her hand was stroking through his soft hair, the silver catching the light beautifully._

_Helios' head was buried in her lap, arms circling her waist and his eyes closed in concentration._

_"They say one can feel it kicking .. but nothing." he said quietly._

_Serenity giggled a little bit, still blushing about the recently gotten news._

_"Helios, I'm only a month or two along, it's much too small to do any kicking ..!" her voice_

_swung with happiness and laughter._

_"I guess so." he sat up a bit and kissed her._

* * *

Over the next few days, Serenity's lethargy didn't disappear.

There were times where she just sat there, her hand on her lower abdomen

and staring into space. And other times where she seemed to be quite there,

focused on her surroundings and listening intently.

And yet other times where she suddenly disappeared out of sight for a while,

only to re-emerge later, completely fine.

The little marble had been following her around all this time, showing nothing out

of the ordinary. She never disappeared to a place nobody knew of,

when there was a time where she seemed to faint, her guardians were there

almost instantly.

Nothing seemed out of order - she slept comfortably well, not twisting and turning

half the night like she couldn't sleep or even sleep-walking.

None of that happened.

Endymion and Queen Serenity were watching the big marble, their little girl sitting peacefully

in a chair next to the window and held her lower abdomen again, humming softly to herself.

Aside from her behavior, it hardly seemed like anything was wrong with her.

"She hasn't mentioned anything about that engagement to Helios, anymore .." Endymion said

with a slight whisp of hope in his voice.

"Only because we didn't talk about him or anything related to the subject." Serenity argued,

frowning slightly. "Then again, she barely says anything anymore, either way."

The King watched his wife carefully.

"Maybe we should. It might give us a clue .." his voice wavered, knowing fully well that,

whatever their daughter might tell them, it wouldn't really explain anything.

_Her life seemed to have been set on fast-foward._

_Every new night, her stomach was larger than before, more round._

_And Helios' new favorite past time was to hold his head close by,_

_listening to the little one's movement inside._

* * *

As the week became longer and no improvement was in Serenity's condition,

the King and Queen sat frustrated and worried in their room, both frowning strongly.

Serenity's appetite had gotten better for a while, but then she began eating less again

and still nothing led them to believe that she was suffering from an illness.

Several doctors, even Ami, had diagnosed her and couldn't say anything,

only finding a chronical exhausted state to be the only weird thing.

"Mamoru, I think we should speak to Helios." the Queen finally said,

that thought had been haunting her for some time now.

"Ah .. I think we should .." he agreed slowly.

They joined hands and, using the Golden Crystal's power, descended into the ground

and found themselves soon enough on the path to Elysion's shrine.

The shrine was small and they reached it quickly, hoping that the sooner they talked to

the priest, the sooner they'd know what was wrong with Serenity - and how to cure it.

The priest was kneeling in front of the stairs, praying, but stopped and turned around

when he felt someone approaching.

"King, Queen." he said humbly and bowed respectfully.

"Helios, we have an urgent question."

"It's about Serenity .." the Queen said and sighed.

The priest grew quiet when he heard that it concerned his maiden,

listened to the way she acted lately and the concerned worry of the parents.

"We thought you might know what is wrong, considering her words .."

Helios, as an answer, put his hand to his chest and with a slight glow, a silver framed

mirror apeared. It was almost like watching a movie, the pictures inside it moving.

It depicted the shrine, Helios was sitting with Serenity in his arms on the steps,

their hands joined over her slightly rounded stomach. Their expressions showed

nothing short of happiness and love for each other.

Not alone for long, fast little steps approached them and they saw a young girl,

still a toddler, running towards them.

Her hair had a lavender sheen to it and her golden eyes matched the two ribbons

holding her pigtails up. She stopped with a jump in front of the two.

"Papa!" she giggled happily. "Papa, dance with me! Dance!"

Helios smiled with fake exasperation and got up.

Serenity watched happily as Helios held his little girl's hand up high while she turned

one pirouette after another under him.

The silver mirror disappeared again. "We're sharing the same dream right now."

The King and Queen looked at him, slightly surprised. The Queen couldn't help but

feel happy about that dream - for her daughter who had experienced the highest

form of bliss for a woman.

"I don't quite see how .."

"When one of the dreamer's sleeps and dreams, the other one - wether they are awake

or asleep themselves - get into a semi-sleep condition. They also experience the dream,

no matter where they might be." Helios explained, knowing their next question. "My Ma-the princess

is in such a condition during the day because of me. My duty is to protect everyone's dreams,

most of the time I sleep during the day."

"And if both of you are awake, neither of you is in that state?" the Queen asked and,

when Helios nodded slightly, she continued. "But .. she seems to be in this state all the time."

The priest sighed slowly at those words. "Perhaps because she _wants_ to remain in that dream .."

The royal couple nodded, understanding her condition,

but were still nowhere near a solution or anything else.

"But how did she get into the dreaming condition in the first place?" Endymion asked,

wondering if this dream-sharing was something that suddenly appeared or was induced.

Helios flinched slightly, hoping that neither of them noticed it, and remained quiet.

The Queen had noticed it, though, but tactfully didn't draw attention to it - she could imagine

that Helios had done something, but whatever it might've been, she knew that he probably did it

out of love, out of frustration of duties being between them and wanting to do something

that would make her happy.

All three of them were silent for a while, an occasional breeze the only sound.

"I know how to get the princess out of this .." the priest said quietly, his gaze somewhere

along the lake. "A spell that will stop the dream sharing. She should be fine the next day."

The King sighed relieved over the news.

The Queen was just as relieved and tried to catch Helios' eyes. "What do we do?"

"You needn't do anything, really .." he answered. "Just send the princess to me today."

Both nodded relaxed, turned and walked down the path.

"However .."

They stopped, turning around again. Both were slightly started by the priest's expression,

his eyes glazed and filled with sorrow, their golden color almost amber.

"In the night, she will have to suffer through a terrible nightmare."

"Can you .." Endymion started. "Could you stay with her, then? To watch over her?"

Helios nodded, making it look like a slight bow.

"Don't worry. When the next day comes, I'll assure you - she won't remember anything."

With a final bow he ascended the stairs, not knowing that the Queen looked after him

with an uneasy expression.

* * *

"Serenity?"

The princess slowly looked up, seeing two of her companions at the door.

"Vesta .. Ceres .." she mumbled slowly, leaning her head to the side. "What is it?"

"The King and Queen are calling you." Ceres said. "In the Great Hall."

Serenity nodded and got up, walking with a slight wobble at first, down several

corridors to the place her parents were waiting for her.

The high windows in the Great Hall were letting in rays from the setting sun,

the crystal floor glittering like one big rainbow.

She curtesied slightly when she stood in front of her parents.

"Ah, Serenity. I was happy to see your appetite returned." the Queen joked slightly.

The princess nodded, knowing that praising her like a little child who had eaten all her vegetables

was certainly not the reason why she was called.

Endymion shook his head slightly, then looked at his daughter.

"We need you to do a little something." he said. "We need you to go to Elysion."

The girl's eyes popped open widely and she nodded energetically.

"Helios is informed, nothing important for you to do - just go." the King told her,

happy to see a reaction from her and hoped everything would turn out alright.

In Elysion,

Helios sighed softly, the hot water helped calm his nerves.

It wasn't really hard what he had to do. His emotions were running high about it,

they didn't want him to do this. _He_ didn't want to do it.

The dream he was sharing with his maiden was wonderful, it made it look like

they were a normal couple. Not a priest and a princess, just a man and a woman in love.

Getting married, having children.

Doing those things were impossible for them - it would be too hard to keep it up,

but in their dreams it was easy. Completely natural and without consequences.

He flushed slightly at the thought of really marrying his maiden ..

"Helios-sama." one of the shrine maidens called from the archway of the purifying bath.

"Yes." he called back, knowing why she called him, and got out.

* * *

At the Crystal Palace, things were going rather smoothly.

After hearing about being sent to Elysion, Serenity had almost immediately retired

to her room, giving her hair another brush and generally prettying herself up for the priest.

With a knock, and a few moments of silence, the Queen entered and smiled.

The princess looked so much better than she had during the last two weeks,

although there were still traces of that lethargic nature ..

"Your father sent me to help you get to Elysion." the Queen said, holding up the Golden Crystal,

the King's starseed. Motioning her over, the Queen held it towards her child.

The crystal flashed brightly and the princess found herself in Elysion.

She quickly walked to the shrine, the prospect of seeing Helios made her seem to fly.

But she saw nobody at the shrine, not even when walking up half of the stairs did she see

his light figure at the altar.

Going back down, she spotted one of the shrine maidens.

"Um, I'm here for Helios ..?" she asked carefully.

The shrine maiden nodded and gestured her to follow, leading her down a side path.

"Helios-sama is awaiting you." she said, pointing up ahead and stopped, leaving Serenity

to continue on her own.

Serenity walked ahead, wondering what exactly she was called here for ..

"Heli .. os?" she gasped as softly as she could when she entered the room.

Helios had been reading a book and closed it, putting it aside, when she entered.

He had on a white robe made out of silk, adorned with darkblue around the seam and cuffs,

the ribbon in the same shade of blue. His hair hung heavily around his face,

wet curls around his collar. Serenity blushed slightly, but tried to not show it.

"Maiden." he greeted her, extending a hand towards her. "I've missed you."

Serenity smiled slightly and took his hand, allowed him to pull her close.

Helios could see why her parents were worried - despite make up there were traces of deep

circles around her eyes and they themselves looked glazed, as if they saw through everything.

"Where's Ellis?" she asked, looking around for their little girl.

"Not here .." the priest whispered and kissed his maiden.

Serenity closed her eyes, enjoying the soft feeling that spread from her lips through her

entire body, like a warm wind surrounding her.

"Ah ..!"

Surprised, she backed off a little when she felt his tongue licking her lips,

but Helios pulled her closer again, gently caressing her lips.

Feeling something like a green potion sliding down her throat, she felt wide awake for

a second and then a lull sleep approaching and she felt like something similar happened before ..

_"Good for the nation or not, I'm pissed!" Serenity snapped._

_Just over an hour ago, her parents had told her of a marriage proposal to her,_

_saying that she should accept it. Any new connection would do well_

_and she was of marriageable age, after all._

_Positively furious about it, she had yelled at her parents and guardians, stormed into her_

_room .. and finally fled to Elysion, telling the priest about it._

_Helios interrupted his prayer, trying to surpress his own rage and sorrow._

_He knew that this would happen someday - his maiden would marry a prince who had_

_his nation's well-being behind him, power and other good qualities. Whenever his mind_

_had wandered to such thoughts, his stomach twisted in an unpleasant way._

_"They want your best, Maiden." he said quietly. "Perhaps it would be good .. to marry-"_

_"But you're the only one I'd want to marry .."_

_He turned around and saw her looking away, tears collecting in her eyes._

_Both felt the same way about each other, both knew it was impossible._

_Their marriage .. a future together .._

_"Do you really ..?" he asked, an idea forming in his head._

_Serenity nodded, wiping her tears away and looked into Helios' eyes when his hand_

_cupped her face._

_"I could cast a spell where we dream of our life together .." he told her,_

_almost wishing he would just do it without telling her. Like a selfish little wish,_

_making his dream come true. "It would merely be a dream .. and there are risks, but .."_

_She put her hand above his and nodded, knowing what he wanted to say._

_Helios smiled and pulled her closer, caressing her cheek before kissing her._

_The girl flinched slightly when she felt his tongue asking gently for entrance._

_She had wanted to be kissed like this by him for years .._

_Something that tasted like a blue potion slid down her throat and the kiss slowly broke,_

_a deep slumber overcoming her .._

Serenity slumped back, sleeping. Helios looked at her,

trying to surpress the urge to use the same forgetful spell on himself.

"You'll forget them .." he whispered into her ear. "It's enough that _I_ suffer .."

He wanted to keep her here, with him, in Elysion. Watch over her, not just for the night,

but always. Staying by her side.

But he knew how worried her parents would be, they wanted to know that everything

was going okay .. he layed her down on his bed and quickly dressed,

bringing Serenity into her own chambers in the Crystal Palace, determined to stay with her

until she woke up and he knew the nightmare was over.

* * *

The blanket was thrown off several times, her nightgown sodden with cold sweat

and she tossed and turned all the time. Occasionally she screamed in agony,

moaned or gasped as if she were in pain.

Helios sat stiffly on the bed, gripping Serenity's hand tightly - he was doing all he could

to keep the nightmare's terror at bay, but there was only so much he could do.

And he had to watch helplessly as his dear maiden went through pain ..

Once, she seemed alright for a minute, but her expression was one of pain,

hot tears running over her face, mixing with her sweat.

Then, with a loud scream, she arched her back and seemed frozen in that state,

even after she grew quiet ..

Hours of such horror passed, not seeming to end until the sun slowly started to rise

and Serenity seemed to quiet down, yet still breathing fast.

Helios sighed relieved and returned to Elysion, as Serenity was slowly opening her eyes,

looking around her room.

Laying completely still, she stared at her hand .. it felt like someone had just been holding it.

Her head felt light .. like the last two weeks had been wiped from her memory.

A huge wave of sadness hit her and she let the tears roll down her face.

What had she dreamed of ..?

It felt like it had been something important ..

And she had lost it ...

* * *

The end is rather a turn-around, huh?  
I wanted to put in a real scene of the proposal being suggested,  
but decided against it.  
And, in case you're wondering, no, she wasn't really pregnant.  
All just a dream that felt real to her, so she didn't get a baby tummy.


	5. Please Say It

**Cat-Alin does not gain any profit by writing or publishing this story.  
All characters are owned by Naoko Takeuchi and TOEI Animation.**

Slowly starting to run out of ideas ..  
Let's see if I manage to make this one short,  
as it's planned to be!

"Chibiusa's thoughts swirl about Helios, focusing on something  
he never said to her .."

* * *

Absently-minded, she let her friend and guardian brush her long

rose colored hair, the waves framing her face delicately.

She didn't really listen to her talking, her mind hundreds of miles away ..

In Elysion.

In that wonderful world where her beloved priest protected everyone's dreams.

Thinking of him warmed her heart, making it beat faster.

"Serenity?" the other girl asked, hearing her mistress sigh.

"Nothing, Ceres .."

Ceres nodded slightly and resumed the brushing, continuing to talk

about every day business and complimenting her on how pretty of a lady she had become.

Ah, she had become a lady.

A young woman with long soft hair, a figure and long, slender legs ..

It had been her dream, having looked up to her mother all this time.

And her dream had led the priest to her in the first place,

he needed someone with a pure dream, somewhere where he would be safe from the evil queen.

And he was looking for his maiden, who could unseal the Golden Crystal within him ..

Serenity blushed at the way he always called her his maiden,

even before they knew it was her.

He had first thought it might be her mother, due to sharing the same name.

But it had been her.

He probably never knew how happy she was to learn that she was the one he was looking for.

To learn she was needed, that he needed her, it had felt wonderful.

A few years had passed since then and they met in her dreams as often as they could.

As priest, he couldn't neglect his duty all the time and as the crown princess,

she had much to learn and often spent the night studying, otherwise lying in dreamless sleep.

"Serenity? I'm done."

She jerked to attention and saw that Ceres had braided her hair back, held together by a white ribbon.

"Ah, thank you." she said and Ceres nodded, leaving the room.

Serenity sighed and lay in bed, wondering if she would see him today.

They spent all their time together in her dream, hardly letting go of the other.

They were in love .. she thought.

In the years, he had never said how he felt about her.

He called her his maiden, spent time with her and, yes, they kissed each other ..

Serenity carefully traced her lips with her finger,

almost tasting that sweet, yet slightly harsh after-taste.

Like eating the freshest strawberries ..

Helios .. had never said that he loved her.

Never, in his soft yet deep and also slightly husky voice.

Maybe he didn't say it, because he didn't feel that way towards her.

Perhaps he merely liked her a lot or was physically attracted to her.

She sighed deeply, starting to feel herself drifting of to sleep.

How she wished he'd say those words to her, at least once ..

She had barely closed her eyes when she opened them again

and stared at the pink sky with a veil of clouds slithering along it.

So she was here, after all. Like she had hoped for.

She sat up in the grass and wondered if she could, perhaps with little hints,

get him to say it to her .. Something inside her suddenly _needed_ to hear those words from him.

Knowing for sure would make her content with their situation.

Serenity got up and hurried towards the shrine where the priest was sure to be.

"Helios ..!" she called out and saw a figure at the shrine turn around.

She saw his silver hair reflecting the light from afar and could almost feel him smiling.

"Maiden, ah-" he gasped slightly when she tripped over the long hem of her nightgown and fell.

He knelt next to her, ready to offer a helping hand. "Are you hurt?"

Serenity looked at her hand, a little scratch on it's palm and seemed to realize ..

Could it be that Helios had never told her about his feelings .. but she hadn't either?

Could it be that he was waiting, as anxiously as she was, to hear those little words?

"Maiden?"

She tried to laugh the silly accident off, hiding her deep thoughts.

"I'm okay, just surprised .. how come I can feel pain?" she asked, having never really felt

any physical pain in any of her dreams before.

Helios smirked slightly at her question. "Because your body is here, not just your mind.

You must've wished a lot to come here, so you did."

Serenity looked a bit confused, not sure if that was possible. "So .. I'm awake?"

"Not quite. You could say you are, but you will return to the Crystal Palace at some point,

like waking up from a dream. You're not losing out on sleep."

She nodded, still not quite coherent, but felt excitement swelling up inside her.

If she told him how much she loved him, she would never have wanted it to be done

in a mere dream. She would've searched for a way to travel to Elysion,

to tell him in person.

This seemed like the perfect opportunity ..

Helios helped her up, holding her hands firmly in his and his gaze transfixed onto

her eyes. Her mind seemed far way and her concentrated expression looked beautiful.

"Helios .." she said slowly, averting her eyes and then trying to look at him again,

feeling the redness creeping up her cheeks. "Truth is .. I .."

The priest watched her with quiet curiosity.

"I .. I love you, Helios!" the girl said, her hands gripping his tightly. "For .. for all these years I .."

She could think of so much more to say, wanted to say more than that,

wanted to tell him how she couldn't imagine a life without him.

How she wished that she could sleep forever, if it meant to be with him all the time.

But her voice failed her and, blushing furiously, she turned her head away,

embarrassed about her feelings, as well as tears, welling up.

Helios' cheeks were tinted with pink when he heard her words

and he smiled when he let go of her hands and embraced her fully,

holding her as close as possible to himself.

"I love you, too, Maiden .." he told her gently, kissing her softly. "Ever since that day .."

* * *

Horray, finally a short One-Shot that doesn't take me two nights to complete!  
The beginning has elements of the anime and manga version of Helios mentioned,  
although I generally tend to stick with the manga part.


	6. Could It Be?

**Cat-Alin does not gain any profit by writing or publishing this story.  
All characters are owned by Naoko Takeuchi and TOEI Animation.**

Oh god, I caught my mother's cold ..  
My throat .. my ears .. Somebody shove some ice cubes into them!

"For a while, Chibiusa has felt rather weird and falls asleep a lot.  
Could it be .. that ..?"

* * *

Serenity studied his sleeping profile ..

Helios lay quietly on his bed, his head cocked to the side and

his silver hair delicately framed his face.

Her eyes followed every line in his face, every little detail she could see

and smiled. There was something about his features that reminded her

so much of her father - it was mostly noticeable when Helios held a worried

expression. He looked like a younger version of the King ..

But it didn't matter.

Helios was Helios.

Serenity looked up at the dark sky which was starting to turn a light shade of pink

and sighed heavily. It had finally arrived.

Her little 'vacation' in Elysion was coming to an end and even Helios would return

to his duty as priest. During her stay, the two shrine maidens had taken over

the job so Helios and Serenity could spend time together.

But soon he'd be busy praying and they would only be able to meet in their dreams again.

With a sigh, she turned to her side and lay halfway on top of him.

And she smiled at everything they had done, the wonderful hours spent together

and doing so many things that would last them a long time.

Memories resurfaced in her mind and she blushed at the times where Helios whispered

sweet nothings into her ear, or just lay in each other's arms and listening to the other's

heartbeat.

Serenity looked at his sleeping face again and leaned up a bit, kissing his cheek.

Helios didn't move, but continued to sleep soundly.

Feeling like she was suddenly overcome with her love for him,

she kissed his cheek again, closer to his lips this time. And kissed his forehead,

close to the red gemstone on it, she giggled slightly mischievous.

If he didn't wake up, she wouldn't stop.

"Mhh .." Helios sighed in an aroused fashion whe Serenity kissed his neck,

trailing a line and she stopped, feeling his arm moving, caressing her back.

"You're awake." she muttered, her breath tickling his skin.

"What were you doing?" he asked amused, his eyes still closed but a smile stretching his lips.

"I'm a princess finding the sleeping prince, awakening him with a kiss."

Helios chuckled slightly at that and pulled her up a bit, closer to him.

"I think it only works on the lips." he said and they kissed each other softly at first,

but grew deeper.

Serenity broke the kiss with a slight gasp and sighed heavily, her fingers playing with

a lock of his hair that lay against his cheek.

"Just a little longer .."

Helios wasn't sure if she meant that it would be a little longer and she'd have to leave

or she wished to stay like this a little longer .. no matter what it was, he had to agree.

* * *

"Serenity!"

Serenity gasped and held her head, still feeling sleepy.

She was sitting with one of her mother's guardians, and friends, Ami in the carriage

that was taking them to the Crystal Palace. Ami had gotten the short end of the stick

and got stuck with the wonderful duty of picking up the love-sick princess from her vacation

and bringing her home.

"You fell asleep." Ami said. "Again."

"Sorry. Still a bit tired, I guess .." the princess hid a yawn and tried to focus.

The rocking motion of the carriage had a calming effect on her, or her head was still

filled with Helios. Helios and his strong, protective arms.

Helios' husky voice.

Helios' warm breath against her neck.

The feeling of his weight on her when they fell asleep ..

She sat up with a start when she felt someone shaking her by the shoulder

and she realized she must've fallen asleep again. For quite some time, since she saw

that they were already at the Palace and her parents were waiting for her at the gate.

"I'm home!" she said cheerfully, trying to sound more awake than she was.

She dashed into her father's arms and gave him a bear hug, before doing the same with her mother.

"Glad you're back home." her mother said gently and stroked through her daughter's hair

before they made their way through the palace and Serenity excused herself in front of her room.

She sighed after closing the door behind her and looked around the room, like she saw it for the first time.

The double door to the balcony were opened widely to air the place, the pale apricot-colored curtains dances

in a little breeze and the ivory sheets on her bed were made up properly.

She tapped softly across the ivory stones and walked onto the balcony, watching the scenery of the

neatly trimmed rose garden below her and already missed being with Helios.

Both had known that she would need to return - it was like when they met.

Once she had helped Helios save Elysion, he remained there and she returned to her own time.

They were separated and had always known that a relationship would be hard to uphold.

But this little retreat .. spending all her time in Elysion with Helios was like a drug for her,

it made her feel like she was no longer crown princess of Crystal Tokyo, but merely a young woman

in love who was with her beloved. Nothing would change that .. she had wished ..

Serenity sighed deeply and turned when one of her personal guardians, Vesta, walked onto the

balcony.

"Mylady Serenity and the King want to know if you will join the banquet tonight."

The princess pondered for a moment, knowing that such things would take hours and all the

attention would focus on her, something that she wasn't particularely fond of.

"No, tell them I'm too tired." she said and smiled slightly, knowing that she wasn't lying.

She was tired and her body longed for sleep, but ..

"I'll tell them. It was a spontanious idea, anyway. They'll probably postpone it for tomorrow." Vesta grinned

when she saw Serenity's shoulders sag, knowing that she couldn't avoid it all the time.

Vesta left and, when she felt getting cold, Serenity went back into her room and closed the double door.

Although the evening had barely begun, she pulled the curtain and undid her hair, brushing the thin waves

and changed into her nightgown.

Staring at the bed, she couldn't help but feel uneasy and a certain sadness. It would be the first night

for her, without Helios. Just those few nights she had spent lying next to him in his bed, it had become

natural to her. Like it was supposed to be that way.

The covers were pulled back slightly and she slid underneath, the sheet felt cool against

her skin. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to relax and turn her mind off,

making her fall asleep sooner.

Hours, or what seemed to her like hours, passed where she turned this way and that, trying to find

a comfortable position to lie in. But it didn't work. Opening her eyes finally, she stared at the wall

next to the bed, the little whisps of a curtain around her bed not drawn and knew what she had suspected

all along.

She wasn't used to sleeping without Helios anymore.

She missed his body warmth next to her, his arms around her, pulling her closer to himself when he thought

she had already fallen asleep. The sound of his heartbeat in her ears when she used his chest

as a pillow substitute. His weight on her, his hot breath beating against her neck ..

Serenity sighed and wrapped her arms around herself, wondering if this would fool her into thinking

that nothing had changed and that he was still here with her.

Burying her face into her pillow, she tried to rid her mind of any thought ..

* * *

Serenity woke up and felt groggy, grunting slightly when the maids entered her room in the morning

to assist her in their usual fashion. The princess yawned and couldn't believe that it was time to get up,

she wasn't really awake yet.

And she felt saddened at not having met Helios in her dream. It was understandable, he had given everything

up while she had been there. And while the shrine maidens were almost equal to him in regards to power,

he _was_ the priest of Elysion and had his duties. There might be a lot to catch up on ..

Or perhaps he knew, like she thought, that seeing each other shortly after separating they'd end up staying

in that dream-state and forget everything around them again.

Maybe she would see him tonight .. or the next night.

It was possible.

But it didn't happen.

Almost a week after having returned to the palace, Serenity hadn't seen or met Helios once. When she dreamed

of him, it was merely a projection of her desire to see him, her feelings made her dream of past things,

but it was never real.

She poked at her lunch half-heartedly and ate a few bites, not realizing that her parents were watching her

rather worriedly.

"Serenity, is something wrong?" the Queen asked, putting her cutlery down and looked at her child.

"Ah, it's nothing." she said and ate two fast bites. "Just a bit exhausted, I suppose."

"You haven't been eating very much lately, either."

"I don't really have an appetite .." Serenity picked at her food a bit more, then asked to be excused and

left the dining hall.

The King watched her leave, sipping his wine and was wondering, like his wife, if the princess was still

not quite in her usual routine again. Elysion was, after all, a timeless place and spending a length of time there

and returning to their own place would exhaust anyone. Similar to jetlag, it took them a while to adjust

to the different passings.

However, Serenity had been back for a week and didn't show any improvement.

The princess stood in the hall, leaning against the wall and took steady, deep breaths.

She felt dizzy and her stomach was churning horribly, she clamped her teeth and lips together

and slid slowly down to a kneeling position, resisting the urge to faint into a calming darkness for a while.

"Princess?"

One of the male servants in the palace passed by and saw her, kneeling down beside her.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm .." Serenity stuttered, talking made her feel queasier than before. "Would .. you escort me to my room, please?"

The servant nodded and helped her stand up, walking slowly alongside her as she held onto his arm for support.

While the dining hall wasn't really far from her room, it took them some time to reach the doors,

as Serenity walked slowly and stopped once and doubled over, almost fainting.

"Princess, shall I ask for a doctor?" the man asked finally at the door, holding onto her but also opening the door.

She shook her head feebly - and slowly - before entering her room. "I will be alright .."

He closed the door after her and left, while Serenity slowly stumbled towards her bed before

collapsing in front of it, laying halways on it.

It felt refreshingly cool against her skin and she closed her eyes, wondering if she had a fever.

She was so hot .. the welcoming darkness fell over her.

As the sky started to turn dark, Serenity woke up with a start and looked around, disorientated.

Slowly getting up, she remembered having passed out shortly after lunch.

The thought of food made her neausious, but also made her stomach growl in a hungry fashion

and she felt a craving inside her. It seemed like she could taste it on her tongue already ..

Shivering slightly, Serenity threw her bathrobe over and looked for a clock,

but a knock on her door startled her.

"Serenity-sama, the Queen sent me." the maid entered the room in her usual humble fashion. "She heard about

your health not being well after lunch and says that, if you wish to, you could eat dinner in here."

The princess nodded slightly at the announcement, hoping that she hadn't worried her mother too much.

"What would the miss like for dinner?" the maid asked, smiling sweetly.

"Eh?" the girl thought for a minute, trying to identify that heavy, intoxicating taste on her tongue,

what she was craving for. "I guess .. just some chocolate cake, maybe .."

The maid nodded and left to tell the cook, Serenity knew that it wasn't much of a dinner - more like she

skipped her meal and went straight for dessert.

But she really felt like eating some right now ..

* * *

During her rather unusual dinner, Serenity enjoyed every single bite of the cake,

the rich savory taste coated her tongue beautifully and told the maid to thank the cook afterwards.

However, her pleasure didn't last very long - about forty minutes after eating,

when she was sitting in her armchair and feeling sleepy again, her stomach growled furiously

and the inside of her mouth filled with excessive saliva, she rushed into her bathroom and lost

the remaining bits of dinner inside her stomach into the toilet.

Feeling worn out, she leaned against the wall and felt flushed, wondering if her stomach was settling

down or if it would rebel again. Finally, she got up and rinsed her mouth, brushing her teeth lightly

and figured that, if she could just get to bed, she could sleep and let her body recover from this illness

she must've caught.

Her bed felt cool and she knew she must be running a fever, but too soon the cool sheets

made her shiver and she got up to wrap a small woolen blanket around her shoulders.

In and out of sleep all night, Serenity tried to focus her mind on pleasant things, thinking up

calming images like a beach with wonderful white sand and crystal blue sea or remembering

the time spent with Helios. Just thinking of his name made her remember the things from that week.

The soft way he said her name, called her by his usual nickname for her or just remaining silent

and being happy that they were in the same place at the same time.

Remembering a particularely happy hour spent in his room, where his arms had been around her waist

and he nuzzled her cheek in a playful matter now and then, made Serenity smile.

She blushed slightly, thinking how a stray curl of his hair had tickled her face and he hadn't noticed.

It hadn't bothered her at all, it was a little detail that wasn't important, her mind and body had

focused on Helios' actions.

Somehow, she really wanted to kiss Helios now .. to go back to Elysion, just for one kiss.

Maybe her fever was making her lose it, she sighed and snuggled deeper into the bed,

trying to calm down and, finally, fell asleep.

When she woke up much later, she did seem to be feeling better. She was still terribly exhausted

and sleepy, but otherwise she felt fine.

Looking at the clock, she realized that she slept past her normal time - her maids hadn't woken her,

either, which was unusal. Serenity yawned and thought that, perhaps they had tried, but considering

how badly she had needed sleep, she probably didn't wake up.

She got up slowly and walked towards her closet, when she felt neausious again and rushed for

the bathroom once more to empty her stomach from something that wasn't there anymore.

The maids, having heard rushed footsteps and door banging, entered the princess' room.

"Princess?" they called out, one finally found their mistress, signalling the other to get some help.

Serenity, though, moved before anyone arrived and rinsed her mouth, while the maid kept asking

if she was alright or needed any assistance, to please lie down until someone came for her.

"It's alright." the princess finally said, sighing deeply. "I probably caught a virus, no need to worry."

She dismissed the maid then and sank down in her armchair, feeling shivery again. She hated being sick,

especially in the winter, and she hoped the worst would be over soon.

* * *

A clear knock started Serenity and she turned as her visitor entered without waiting for an answer.

She gasped slightly when her mother passed through the gap between the tied back curtains

and saw a worried expression on her face.

"I received news that you aren't feeling too well." the Queen said, stopping in front of her daughter.

"Mh." Serenity nodded slightly. "Sick to my stomach - I just have the flu or so, nothing serious-"

"I don't quite think so."

The princess stared at her mother in surprise and cocked her head to the side,

wondering if her mother knew more than she thought.

The Queen turned her head slightly to the side, a barely noticeable pink illuminating her cheeks

and she coughed shortly. "I apologize for such a rude question, but .."

Again, she coughed and Serenity realized that she was a bit embarrassed over all of this.

"You have become rather intimate with Helios, haven't you?"

With a tiny, yet high-pitched shriek Serenity stepped back, feeling her face explode in a

crimson color and she turned her back on her mother, unable to look at her.

Was it really that obvious? Why, yes, she and Helios had slept with each other during her stay,

not that either of them had really planned for it, but it had seemed like a good opportunity -

or rather the only opportunity - since they hardly ever met and a long-time wish of hers had

come true, for him as well!

If her mother had figured it out, her father would already know it - or she'd tell him soon - and

she'd have to listen to a sermon of his, it was nice to know that she was so precious to him,

his little girl, but, after all, she had grown up and things would change!

Finally, Serenity felt her mother's hand on her shoulder and she dared to look at her,

realizing that she had said something.

".. Pardon?" she asked, not having heard it, due to her thoughts having just exploded in her head.

"Because I think you're pregnant, that's what I said."

Not really grasping her mother's words, Serenity just stared at her in silence

until she finally said "Pregnant?" in a low voice, like she never heard of that word before.

The Queen nodded.

"I could be wrong, but with your being sick and eating so little lately, it does seem likely."

The princess remained quiet, trying to understand everything, and followed her mother obediently

when she motioned her to come along.

Thirty minutes later, a pregnancy test was lying on the bedside table in her room but neither of them

really waited for the result to show up. Serenity followed her mother again, who seemed rather

amused with the situation or just happy, and entered a small room down a short hallway.

The walls and most of the furniture were white, metal being the only other color in decoration present.

Ami was sitting at a desk and looked up when the two women entered,

wondering if anything was the matter. It wasn't often that she got a visit of the royal family while

in her office which she used in her civilian form as one of Crystal Tokyo's best doctors.

"D-do we really have to tell Ami?" Serenity asked flushed, pulling her mother's dress slightly.

It wasn't that she didn't trust or disliked Ami, but considering how easy it was to get secrets out

of Ami at times, she was sure the news would soon spread throughout the entire city.

"Would you rather hear it from a stranger?"

That return-question shut Serenity up, she blushed even more and turned away, while her mother took

charg once again.

"She needs a sonogram." the Queen said breezily, smiling at the other's embarrassment.

"A sonogram? .. Sure." Ami looked surprised for a second, but then smiled and pulled off the glasses

she tended to wear, but she didn't really need them. "Lie on the gurney and lift your skirt so I can

access your stomach area."

Still embarrassed, Serenity lay down on the gurney and held her skirt to her chest, sighing deeply.

It felt like she had held her breath since her mother had first asked her to follow her.

"Particular suspicion? - A bit cold." Ami asked and put some blueish gel onto Serenity's stomach who

winced at the cold gel touching her skin suddenly.

"Well .." the Queen shrugged her shoulders slightly and watched her friend closely. "The circumstances

would've permitted everything and her behavior mimics the symptoms. We took a test, but those can

always turn out wrong .."

"True, true .. eating so little could've been due to other things, though. But for several weeks .." Ami placed

a little roller on Serenity's stomach and the gel, watching the monitor, moving the roller deftly.

Minutes seemed to pass while Ami was looking and Serenity felt sick again - not the kind of sick

she had felt the past few times, but more of an excitement and nervous sick. She wondered how

much longer she'd have to wait .. why couldn't they have waited for the test's result and then

check with the doctor? It would've taken some of the anxiety away.

Ami smiled suddenly and the princess moved her head automatically, the monitor's light illuminated

the doctor's face a bit.

"Well, there's definitely something. Want to see?" she asked, noticing Serenity's gaze and turned

the monitor to the side so she could see for herself.

How anyone could see anything except black and white spots on the screen, Serenity thought

and try to make out something that looked like it didn't belong. Nothing there seemed out of

the ordinary - if she guessed correctly, the oblong black part was her uterus and the rest

muscles and fat. Everything seemed the way it should be.

"There." Ami hovered her small finger in front of the monitor, pointing to a tiny thing - barely bigger

than a pea - a white spot was in the midst of black. Trying hard to see if it might resemble

anything that would grow into a baby, Serenity failed at that and still couldn't quite see it.

Ami giggled, knowing what the princess might be thinking. "Don't worry, I can say you are most

certainly pregnant." she consulted the calender for a moment. "Pretty much six or eight weeks, since that's

when you were with Helios. You weren't getting your period, right? Didn't that concern you?"

"Eh?" Serenity got out of a slight trance and, taking the tissues Ami offered her, wiped the

gel off her stomach and sat up. "Not really. It was over two months ago .. but it's pretty irregular."

The two women smiled, both feeling a slight sense of pride and amusement.

"We can look at the test result - see if it says the same." the Queen said, opening the door

a bit. Serenity nodded, thanked Ami and walked alongside her mother, losing herself in her

thoughts again.

Pregnant .. it meant that she was going to have a baby.

It still didn't quite register with her - after all, like she said, her period was rather irregular

and her stay in Elysion had mixed up her feeling of time, it seemed hard for her to even believe

that she had already left Helios, at least, six weeks ago. It hadn't seemed that long to her.

After the initial trouble of falling asleep without Helios' body next to her, she was happy to know

that, when she managed to fall asleep after hours of tiresome tossing, she dreamed of things

she had done with him over her stay ..

"Serenity."

The princess stopped and saw that she had walked past her bedroom door, having been completely

lost in her thoughts. She hurried back and entered the chamber with her mother.

The pregnancy test was still sitting undisturbed on the bedside table, neither of approached it

like it would turn any moment into a horribly frightening monster. The Queen, when seeing how her

daughter wasn't about to move, walked towards the table and picked the test up, looking at the result.

Serenity stared at her mother, waiting for the result and yet she didn't want to know.

Despite Ami having shown her something on the sonogram, she still couldn't believe it, and besides,

even the best of doctors could be wrong.

Even the test could be wrong!

The Queen tore her eyes from the test and looked at her child, a smile stretching her lips and

her eyes crinkled up with a happy expression.

"Positive."

She only said that one word, her voice practically singing with joy over the news and it was obvious

that she was happy about her daughter's blessing and her upcoming status as a grandmother.

Serenity listened and, slowly, walked over to her bed, feeling her legs wobbling underneath her

and finally sank onto her bed, keeping her hands folded on her lap.

* * *

"We've heard~!"

With that announcement, the door burst open wide and the three other guardians of the Queen

dashed into the room, almost mowing the princess over. Neither of them noticed how the Queen

and Princess had been in a deep discussion before. Their expressions had been serious, yet the Queen's

had still kept a hint of amusement in it.

"I pretty much _screamed_ when I heard!" Minako said in her typically loud voice.

Makoto grabbed Serenity's hands and looked near tears. "What wonderful news! I am so happy for you!

Ah~aah, if I could only find the right guy for me, I would have the same blessing."

"Makoto, calm yourself." Rei told her, never quite understanding how the brunette wished so much

for a husband and a family while working her own floral-bakery-shop. She, herself, had made a vow

to never marry or to even fall in love due to previous bad experience - and how she knew that her duty

as a soldier would always rank first.

Rei coughed, "I'm happy to hear the news." she said something else, but it was drowned out by Minako

continuing to blab, something along the lines of, "Oh, the opportunity to see each other in such an

isolated place, it just _begged_ to happen! If only my love life wouldn't be so cursed .." and on she went.

Rei sighed and cleared her throat again and spoke louder, trying to be heard over Minako.

"Anyway, if you're anxious about anything and need a talk, don't hesitate, alright?" she asked and

Serenity sighed slightly and knew that Ami had blabbed the secret out.

Or rather, it was likely that Minako had seen Serenity and the Queen going to see Ami or coming out

of her office. And Minako, curious as it was her fashion, had pestered Ami again and again until

it was revealed by complete accident.

"Thank you, Rei, Makoto. Minako, please!" she sighed and smiled. "Thank you, I might have a question or two,

but I will try to not bother you."

"You'd never bother us, Small Lady-" Makoto quickly put a hand over her mouth and laughed embarrassed

about the little faux-pas. "Sorry, you're not Small Lady anymore .."

That tended to still happen at times, but it didn't bother her anymore. "It's fine. Um, just .. please don't

tell my father, okay?"

Makoto and Rei nodded, understanding her concern and sighed since Minako was still gushing around,

babbling things. "Of course she's not the Small Lady anymore, she's a right down woman right now. Ah~ah,

my curiousity is insatiable, Chibiusa-chan, you have to tell me _every_thing! I really want to know how

everything happened and how you feel now, what with the news-"

"Mi-Minako ..!" Serenity gasped, flushing deeply from her words and request, also in an attempt to make her stop.

"Say, Say, when will you tell him? And how? Ah, when you do, tell me how he reacted!"

The princess started slightly when she heard that and her thoughts took a strange and deeper turn.

Yes, Helios was the father. He had to know. It was the normal thing to do and he had every right to know

that he would become a father .. Yet he was in Elysion and she couldn't meet him suddenly, take him away

from his duty for this news - it was sure to make a deep impact on him. And it wasn't something you could

drop on somebody as quick news when seeing them after some time ..

And like a brick, it suddenly hit her that she was pregnant!

And before the sob in her throat burst out of her mouth, her mother was standing in front of her,

her arms embracing her child protectively. Like she knew how her daughter might've felt, she noticed

before anyone - even the princess herself - that the sudden realization of her condition made her

want to cry. Out of relief. Out of shock or being scared. Or the news being so sudden.

Her mother held her, shielded her and her tears from everyone and muffled her sobbings as Serenity

snuggled up to her and let her tears flow.

Serenity's face paled as she sat in the dining hall the next day.

An entourage of encouragement was standing around her, her mother sitting close-by.

She had felt sick again in the evening and had decided to skip dinner, but after a night of sleep - once again

spent with hours of tossing and turning - her mother and her guardians had woken her up,

telling her that it was time for breakfast.

So now, with her hair and teeth brushed, dressed in a cream dress with the hemline on her thighs and

the pleated skirt billowing around her feet, she sat at the dining table and stared at one of the side-dishes

she was told to eat.

Carrot Salad.

She hated carrots! Everybody knew that! Even her _mother_ hated carrots!

Why did she need to eat them?

"Chibiusa-chan, in your current condition, you need all the vitamins and iron you can get!" Ami lectured her,

stepping into the habit of using her old nickname, sounding like a doctor.

"Can't I just eat something else that has the same vitamins?" Serenity asked horrified. "Or .. or eat other

fruit and vegetables, just more of them."

"You'd gain more weight than if you do it this way."

Serenity sighed deeply, still not moving her fork.

"I know how you hate it." her mother tried to console her. "But bear it - I had to eat it while pregnant, too."

Knowing that her mother had suffered through the same thing, the princess put some of the food onto

her fork and left it hovering over the plate. The mere thought of trying to eat it made her squirm.

"I tried to make it taste different." Makoto said. "I didn't let it marinate in it's own juices or so,

and I put some condoments on it."

Serenity knew that she loved everything else Makoto cooked and knew that she had taken the trouble

to make it for her so she would eat it .. taking a deep breath, she put the food into her mouth,

chewed a few times and swallowed it, followed by a big gulp of water.

Continuing in that fashion, she tried to taste and swallow as little as possible and always drank

something after wards to avoid any aftertaste lingering in her mouth.

Getting applause and compliments like a good little kid after she finished, she tried to make sure to

never having to remember this sensation again.

* * *

Every day, Serenity was now forced to eat things she generally avoided - while she was still allowed

to eat her beloved pudding in various flavors and cake, ice cream and other sweet treats, she ate

more fruit and vegetables than she was used to. Her meals kept varying from vegetarian, to carnivorous

options and sometimes even something vegan.

Makoto was really showing off her wide repertoire of culinary knowledge - and everything tasted great,

although she was told to not eat too spicy things, her meals had a great balance of spices in it.

And she even was able to eat carrots, despite still preferring days where she didn't have anything

carrot-related on her plate.

But when it became more obvious that Serenity didn't sleep enough, as she tended to fall asleep

during some of her lessons or even at dinnertime, even Endymion started to notice something was afoot.

"Serenity," he said to his wife one night while she was preparing her hair before going to bed. "it seems

like our little princess is still rather exhausted from her trip to Elysion."

The Queen winced slightly, pretending that it was from the slight pull of taking her earrings out

and not from her husband's words. "Well, Elysion is timeless, after all .." She tried hard to dodge

answering in a direct way, not quite sure how to tell her husband the truth.

"Yes, but it's been over two months already." he retorted quickly. "Perhaps she is sick, she should

see Mercury and have herself checked."

"Mh .." the Queen got up from her dresser and sat down on the bed, looking at Endymion.

He returned her gaze, noticing her slightly discomforted expression. "What?"

"Well .. she _has_ visited Ami-chan a while ago .."

"And?" Endymion lifted an eyebrow in a curious fashion.

The Queen turned her head, feeling nervous like _she_ was the one who was pregnant and had to tell him.

But that thought made her laugh a bit and she shook her head and looked at her beloved again.

"It's nothing. Maybe Rei-chan can help .. somehow."

The King seemed satisfied with that idea and they went to bed, sleeping soundly, but the Queen took

a bit longer to fall asleep. She didn't feel all too comfortable about having to lie to him.

In another one of the royal chambers, Serenity was lying in bed on her side and couldn't sleep again.

According to Ami, she was about in her ninth or eleventh week of pregnancy .. the thought of her

being pregnant always made her blush, but it still seemed surreal to her. After all, she lifted the blanket

and peeked underneath, her hand on her stomach .. she didn't look pregnant.

Which sort of suited her fine, as she had asked her mother recently and she had said that she still

hadn't told her father about it. Not that _she_ was going to burst the bubble of his impression that his

sweet little girl was still a sweet little innocence! But, if Ami was right - and she should be,

having studied medicine in college and being a doctor and all - she was supposed to start to 'show'

soon .. within a week or two, probably.

Serenity stretched and winced when her back protested, turned over onto her other side and closed

her eyes, trying to go to sleep again. Lately, she hadn't dreamt of Elysion or visited it in her dreams.

She had slowly accepted the latter, as her mind was keeping her from taking Helios away from his duty

after having stayed so long with him. But now, she felt almost .. glad .. to not meet him in her dreams.

She wasn't sure how to tell him that he was going to be a father, nor if she should tell him now ..

And even if she told him .. with a sudden sense of panic, Serenity grabbed her pillow and clawed her

fingernails into it .. what if .. what if Helios .. didn't want .. it?

What if he'd be shocked and left her alone suddenly or .. even worse .. if he said something like "Please, No!"

or so, if he rejected the baby .. or her ..

Serenity moaned frustrated and rolled onto her back, burying her face into the pillow and shutting her eyes

all the more and forcing herself to sleep now. He would never say that! Helios wasn't that sort of guy!

He would be happy about it .. maybe.

She hoped he would be.

* * *

"Serenity?" Rei-chan entered the princess' room and looked around for her.

She noticed the balcony doors being wide open and saw the young woman standing outside,

wearing a terry cloth robe over her dress and leaning against the banister.

"Chi- .. Serenity."

The princess turned around and greeted Rei with a smile.

Rei stood next to her and put a hand onto her shoulder. "You shouldn't be outside so long,

it's freezing! You don't want to catch a cold .."

Serenity looked at Rei, who was already shivering in her clothes. "But, I'm quite warm - I mean,

the robe really helps."

"That might be .." Rei stuttered and tried to control her speech better. "But come inside, anyway,

I have something to show you."

Serenity nodded and followed Rei inside, closing the doors behind her, and then along the corridor

into one of the rooms that weren't used very often. The room was small, at least small for

being inside a castle, the apricot wallpaper had a swirly white pattern on it and the furniture

was made up of big comfortable cream colored armchairs and a round table out of light wood.

Rei closed the door behind the princess, "You're not sleeping well."

She said it like it was a question, yet it also had the statement of a fact in it.

Serenity nodded slightly and listened, "Ami-chan told me that it's most likely due to hormonal

imbalance or so .. anyway, she said that it should stop once you've reached your second

trimester."

The princess made a funny face at that word, knowing what it meant but still feeling the way

she had felt about it in the first place. Rei sat in one of the armchairs at the table and Serenity

sat across from her, seeing several bottles in various colors and sizes on the table.

In the middle of the table was a small cylindric pot, a square was cut out in the walls and the top

of the base looked pretty thin.

"What is that?" she asked, having never seen such a thing before.

Rei pointed at the base and then the square hole where, as the princess saw it now, was another

small hole, this one in a small circular fashion and not very deep. "It's an aromapot. You light

a candle on the bottom and put oil onto the top and the heat of the flame will activate the fragrance

of the oil."

Serenity nodded, as it made sense. "So .. this is aromatherapy?"

Rei nodded and pointed to the bottles. "Depending on what oil you use, you can get various effects.

For example, ginger" she picked up a tiny brown bottle with a yellow label. "can relieve headaches

and the aroma can even stimulate appetite. Or cinnamon" this bottle had a white label. "is often used

to reduce drowsiness or irritability."

Serenity grinned ironically. "Cinnamon is definitely one that I don't need."

Rei giggled, agreeing to that. "Well, most of these oils can be used to treat various illnesses and pains,

mostly the ones made out of herbs or fruits. But since you aren't really suffering from an illness,

you don't need them."

The princess nodded, the morning sickness - despite it having occured at various times of the day - had

become less over the time, there were even several days where she didn't need to rush to the bathroom

after eating - or just smelling - food. And, according to Ami, in a week or two it should stop entirely.

She watched interested as Rei produced a small tea candle from her pocket and put it into the small

dent at the bottom and lit it. Her fingers hovered over the bottles for a few seconds until she picked

up one that had a pale orange label and white writing, unscrewed the top and put a few drops of

it's contents into the little base at the top.

After a minute or two, they could already smell the sweet exotic aroma and warm fragrance filling the room,

Serenity noticed how her eyes were already starting to shut themselves.

"It smells nice .." she mumbled and tried to recognize it. ".. jasmine?"

"Yep." Rei nodded approvingly. "It has many uses, it's almost everywhere - it sedates your entire system,

so it can be used to cure headaches, tension and insomnia. Then again, it also can be used as a brain stimulant

and increase your alertness. And it's also known as an aphrodisiac."

".. what?"

"Don't worry, it mostly relaxes. I'm going to give this to you, so if you have another night where you can't sleep

you don't need to wait until the early morning hours until you finally do get sleep. Just remember - don't use

too much of the oil. The key to aromatherapy is subtleness and using a lot has the opposite effect."

Serenity nodded, still feeling sleepy from the fragrance. She tried to stay awake and shook her head, getting up

and stifled a yawn. Rei blew the candle out, wiped most of the oil off and gave it to her.

"You don't have to worry too much about falling asleep with the candle still lit - generally it goes out by itself,

but you can never be too careful. If you notice you're starting to fall asleep, try to blow it out beforehand."

Serenity nodded again.

"Here. I'll give you some Ylang Ylang and Chamomile oil, too - use the chamomile if you're having morning sickness again.

The Ylang Ylang helps you relax." the woman told her, giving her a little bag to carry the oils in.

"Thank you, Rei." she headed towards the door and stopped. "Say, do you have anything against muscle pain?"

Rei blinked surprised at the princess. "What sort of muscle pain - depends because geranium helps again

certain pains, but .." she stopped and looked worried. "Are you having menstruation pain?"

"No, no." Serenity shook her head. "More, like, for my back. It's tense and hurts all the time, it's really annoying me."

"Ah .. if I remember correclty, Ami said it was due to your uterus expanding and pressing against your spine more,

let's see .. you could use a little bit of orange oil, it should relieve some pain and it sedates as well.

Or use Marojram and Peppermint."

After adding those oils to the bag, Serenity thanked her again and left the room.

Walking along the corridor, she almost wanted to dash to her room to try it out herself.

"Small Lady."

She stopped and turned, seeing the King approach her, coughing slightly over using her old name.

"Father, what is it?" she asked, wondering if he needed her for anything.

One part of her saw his worried and yet slightly annoyed expression and she wondered wether he knew about

her condition and would yell at her. Or at Helios, if he were to travel to Elysion right away.

"How are you feeling?" he asked softly, not realizing how much he made Serenity panic.

"Oh, um, fine, I guess." she stuttered. "Just .. just a bit sleepy-"

"I thought so .. what is that?" his eyes fell onto the bag and small object in his daughter's arms.

"Ah, Rei just gave me some oil to use against .. against my, um, drowsiness and .. and such."

Endymion's face softened and a smile spread over his face.

"Aromatherapy, then. I've heard much about it and I hope it helps." he said and patted her head before

leaving, thinking to himself how his wife had asked her friend for help. And he trusted Rei,

he knew that she knew much about this stuff and was sure it would help.

* * *

In her room, Serenity sighed deeply and realized how nervous she had been.

Keeping her pregnancy a secret from her father didn't feel right and she hated sneaking around him,

but she didn't think she could deal with his emotions once he found out. And she especially didn't

want him to blame Helios or hurt him, thinking it was all his fault.

She had wanted Helios as much as he had wanted her .. and it had felt good to cave into their

wants and needs, knowing that this was something that they wouldn't do with anyone else.

Like a private ceremony between them ..

Serenity blushed furiously to the tips of her roots and pulled her thoughts away from those times,

sitting onto the edge of her bed and the bag of oils next to her. She used a tissue to wipe any sort

of residue of the jasmine oil off and put the pot onto her table.

Skimming through the bag, she wondered which oil she should use first - while her body was longing for

a long, good night's sleep, she also knew that any kind of pain would keep waking her up.

Remembering what Rei had said, she let about two drops of orange oil tip into the base and lit the candle,

waiting for it to heat up and take it's effect.

Soon enough the tangy and yet sweet fragrance filled her room and she automatically stretched,

feeling her muscles move and crack a bit before she fell against the covers and closed her eyes.

It didn't have the immediate effect the jasmine had given her in the other room, but it calmed her

enough and relived her pain so that she had time to slip underneath the blanket before falling asleep.

At some point, the Queen knocked and entered the room to remind her of the formal dinner that

was taking place in a few hours. But once she saw her child - despite her now being a young woman,

carrying a child herself - sleeping deeply, she took the few seconds to blow the candle out

and left again, already making up excuses for the crownprincess' absence.

With a big yawn, Serenity slowly opened her eyes and felt groggy, like she was still half-asleep

and yet she felt much better than the previous times she woke up. Looking at the clock,

she realized it was 5:30 AM and she also noticed - she was ravenously hungry.

Skipping dinner hadn't really been planned, but the oil seemed to have done such a good job that

she slept almost fifteen hours straight!

Not really wanting to wake up any maids or the cook, Serenity wondered if she could just go back to

sleep a bit or occupy her mind otherwise until the staff usually got up. But a growl told her she couldn't

and, knowing that any sickness wouldn't be less horrible if she didn't eat, she sighed and finally

rang for an attendant.

It took some time until a knock on her door informed her of the appearance and she opened the door,

seeing a sleepy looking maid who had buttoned her dress a bit wrong - it was obvious she had been

woken up and hastily put on her uniform. Serenity felt bad.

"I'm really very sorry for waking you .."

"Oh, it's .. it's quite alright, princess." she answered, trying to stifle a yawn and smiled. "What can I do for you?"

"Um .. if it isn't too much trouble, would you make me something to eat?" the princess tried to think of

something fast and nothing too big where the tired maid would need to put much attention onto,

which she didn't seem to have at the moment. "M-maybe a small bowl of soup .."

The maid smiled again and nodded, bowing before she left for the kitchen and Serenity looked after her worried

as she stumbled slightly when turning a corner.

After about twenty to thirty minutes, another knock came and the maid entered, holding a tray on which a

blue patterned bowl was sitting with steam rising from it and a few slices of bread next to it.

The maid placed the tray onto the small table and bowed before heading for the door again.

"Thank you very much." Serenity said who had tried to ignore her grumbling stomach by reading. "And, again,

very sorry for waking you .."

The maid left and the princess sat at the table and saw thick tomato soup, fresh basil leaves floating on top

and several small green specks of herbs in the soup itself. The bread was soft and the kind that would

soak up any remaining liquid, so Serenity began to eat slowly and enjoyed every spoonful, hoping that it

would settle her stomach.

After finishing, Serenity settled back and felt like sleeping a bit more, but decided not to - having learned

that it wasn't a good idea to eat just before going to bed. So she picked up the book she had been

reading before and continued it, but her eyes felt heavy.

"Good Morning~!"

With a crash, Minako burst into the room and startled Serenity, who had fallen asleep with the book in

her lap. Minako was dressed in her usual yellow dress trailing the floor, but her grin looked very different

from the elegant cut of the dress. It looked curious and mischievous.

"What are you doing in the chair? Well, doesn't matter - come on, up with you!" she said fast and

pulled the princess up suddenly. "Time for another exam with Dr. Ami!"

"M-mh .." Serenity tried to keep the room from spinning and realized that she felt cold.

She took off her nightgown, feeling barely any shame in front of Minako, and put her arms through

the long sleeves of a long dress with a square neckline and tighter around the chest than the stomach.

"Ah! Aah~hah!"

"Wh-what?" Serenity asked, wondering why Minako had suddenly made and saw that the blonde was

pointing at her stomach. Confused, she looked down and gasped when she saw a small bump

bulging a little bit under the top of her panties.

Wondering for a second if it was still her early breakfast or really a .. a baby bump, she pulled the dress

over her head and quickly brushed her hair and put it up into it's usual style.

Minako grinned widely and stood giggling at the door, being quite obvious that she was going to escort,

and probably attend, her to the exam. Knowing that Minako would only get more annoying the longer

she had to wait, Serenity quickly checked if she was ready and then followed the blonde woman out.

* * *

They walked along the corridor, Minako having a slight skip in her step - it was like she was much more

excited about the situation than Serenity. She sighed slightly, wondering if she really had a baby bump now

how long it would take to really show.

"Morning, you two." Endymion said, passing the two in the hall. "You're up rather early."

"Good Morning." Serenity nodded. "Well, Ami has me down for another exam-"

"Another exam?"

Too late, Serenity realized that she had let something slip and quickly tried to think up an excuse

why the doctor wanted to see her again. "To .. you know, check on my status - what with my chronic

tiredness. But I think things are well. I slept like a baby last night!"

"Speaking of babies-"

Minako tried to wince as little as possible when the princess interrupted her by kicking the instep

of her foot.

"Pardon?"

"I-isn't that a horrible disease leading to imminent death, if not treated within 24 hours of infection?"

"That's rabies." Endymion told his daughter and sighed slightly. "Glad to hear you're sleeping better,

but your mind doesn't seem awake yet. I hope Mercury will find nothing wrong."

He left then, leaving the two ladies on their way to the doctor again.

"He still doesn't know?" Minako asked quite bluntly.

"No. Mother hasn't told him yet - and I don't want to be the one to do it." Serenity said,

turning the corner to Ami's office. "Remember in the 20th Century? When you all tried to get

information out of me because I was acting lovesick? Remember his reaction?"

The blonde sighed sympathetically and remembered how she had actually been the one to

start the whole thing by saying how Chibiusa had shown all the symptoms of having a secret boyfriend.

After a quick knock, they opened the door and entered Ami's office who had turned in her chair.

Before she could greet them, Minako lifted Serenity's skirt high up, over her stomach and said "Peek-A-Boo!"

meaning the little bump that had appeared.

"Minako ..!"

Ami giggled slightly and motioned for the princess to lie down. "Well, you're showing now - not much, of course,

but you'll notice a change every day now." while she talked, she put the blue gel onto the girl's stomach again

and used the roller to check her up.

Minako stood behind Ami, watching the black-white squiggles on the monitor and listening to Ami

saying "Hmm" or "Aha" every now and then. Serenity sat as quietly as possible on the gurney,

ignoring the cold gel.

"Something wrong?" she finally asked, feeling nervous.

"No." Ami answered quickly. "Your uterus is just bigger than it should be at your current time."

"Wait, doesn't that mean she's having twins?" Minako interrupted and the princess sat up on her elbow

quickly, gasping.

"Twins?" Ami pushed her back down a bit.

"Don't worry." she just said and sat back down, resuming the rolling motion. "From what I can see here

you are not having twins. There's only one heartbeat."

Not sure if she was disappointed or glad about the prospect of having one child,

she turned to her side when instructed to do so.

"But if it's bigger than it should be now .."

"It's most likely that you're a bit further along than we thought." Ami quickly lifted her free hand to

stop Serenity from sitting up again. "Relax, it might be just a few days."

They were all quiet, Ami's eyes focusing on the monitor and pressing a key now and then. A few times

she broke the silence, asking how Serenity was feeling now - if she was sleeping better,

if she had any pain or problems.

Minako started to walk around, impatient about it taking so long and something nagging at her for

some time now. "Ami-chan, tell me .." she said slightly whining. "Can we tell what it is yet?"

"What?"

"Is it a boy or a girl?" the blonde said bluntly, bouncing on her feet slightly.

"The gender is set pretty early - so, yes, we can see what gender is." the doctor's eyes strayed from

Minako over to Serenity. "Do you want to know?"

Serenity blinked surprised and thought for a moment.

She hadn't thought about it yet - would it make any difference to her wether she was going to give

birth to a boy or girl? Whatever gender it was going to be, it would become her successor and

at least there it made no difference. And she thought of Helios - she hadn't told him yet, as she hadn't

seen him in her dreams yet. And she was sure they wouldn't let her travel the long way to Elysion,

especially since she was told that things could go very wrong in her first trimester.

A blush came over her cheeks as she wondered, if Helios was to know about the child, wether he would

prefer to have a son or daughter.

"Um .." she thought for a second more. "No. No, I guess I want to be surprised. But you can tell

Minako, she doesn't want a surprise."

She had seen the disappointed look on the blonde and how it lit up like a signpost when offered the

possibility of the knowledge. "Yeah, sure, yes, I want to know! Tell me!"

Ami and the princess giggled and Ami motioned her over to the monitor again.

"But you have to promise not to tell anyone!" she warned her and then moved the roller, stopped the

sonogram's constant moving and pointed at something.

The princess kept her head turned and tried to not give in to a slight impulse of curiosity to sit up

and look for herself. She felt the roller taken off her stomach and saw Ami handing her tissues,

so she wiped everything off and got up slowly, wincing slightly.

"You promised, okay? Something wrong?" Ami told a giddy Minako, who was already standing at the door,

and then turned her head to Serenity.

"Ah, my stomach just hurt. Kinda stabbing." she told her.

The doctor frowned a second, then told her to move her body one way, the head the other, to sit down

and get up again - and she always felt the same stabbing motion.

"I don't think it's anything serious - everything's making room right now, so make sure to not move too fast."

Serenity nodded and left the office with Minako.

"You look like the cat who swallowed the canary."

Minako giggled, eyeing Serenity. "Just happy. You _sure_ you don't want to know?"

Hesitating for a moment, Serenity nodded.

* * *

The next few weeks were filled with regular checks with Ami, but mostly Serenity went to

the library and, in sudden panic, read everything she could find about pregnancy, deliveries and parenting.

But once her mother told her sternly to take things easy and pretty much condemned her to staying

in her room or close by, Serenity tried to relax.

Late spring, the weather warmed up significantly and barely a breeze blew. The sunlight shone bright

over Crystal Tokyo, drenching the palace in a soft golden color. The doors of Serenity's chamber were

open, as well as the balcony door - letting a draft of pure warmness waft through the palace.

The princess herself was on the balcony, sitting in an ivory armchair with peach colored cushions.

She was wearing a long white dress - it was more like a big piece of silky cloth that got wrapped around her

body and held in place by two ornamental belts, one around her shoulders and the other tucked in just

under her breasts. They were golden with a simple, yet also intricate design with red and blue stones.

Her head was leaning against the back of the chair, a smile hovering on her lips and she hummed to herself,

folding her arms over her bulging stomach.

She was in her sixth month now, loving the past months where she saw her body changing every morning

and wondering what new thing she'd find the next day. Her mother's guardians and the Queen had given

her more tips than she could handle over the time - Makoto had shown her some easy exercises she could

do to keep in shape and stay healthy, while Ami had continued to take care of her check-ups.

Rei and Minako were in charge of making sure she continued to eat well, while her mother tended to

be more there to talk to. Telling her how she felt, emotionally, about how she felt a bit scared when her

happiness subsided for a while.

And every so often, one of them would say things like "the sweety pie is doing well" or "no worries,

lil' rascal will be just fine", those little hints. She still wanted to be surprised and she knew they weren't

trying to drive her curiosity up the wall and make her ask about the gender. It was more of a little game

between them all, trying to see if they could make her guess the gender.

But they kept using different terms, each girl alternating between girl- or boy-hints, so as to not give it away.

She was grateful for all those tips and games, yet there were times where she wanted to be left alone - to just

be herself and have her own private memories of her pregnancy. And, like this being such a moment,

she enjoyed them.

Serenity opened her eyes and was momentarily blinded by the sun starting to set, changing the golden

hue of the palace to a beautiful mixture of pink and orange, the night sky slowly approaching from

the other side. A giggle escaped from her throat and she looked down at her stomach,

remembering for a few minutes how her father had reacted when her mother had finally spilled the beans.

From afar she had already heard fast, angry steps approaching her room back then - but a second set

of footsteps had stopped him in front of her door. While she had sat worried on her bed, her personal

guardians around her, listening what was going on - she heard her mother talking in a calm, soothing and yet

stern voice how she would not let him move another inch until he calmed down a bit.

And finally, he had been allowed to enter and - despite it being obvious that he was very concerned and

still in emotional turmoil - had said that he was happy to hear the news, although he had mentioned that he

was a bit peeved over being kept out of the loop for four months.

Serenity laughed a bit at the memory and patted her stomach a bit more.

While she still felt curious as to wether she'll be giving birth to a boy or a girl, she thought, for now,

it didn't matter. It would turn out alright, not just for the kingdom but for herself ..

And the last warm rays of the sunlight shining on her made her fall asleep.

"Maiden!"

A pair of strong, warm arms wrapped around her chest and pulled her against someone.

The princess opened her eyes and found herself in a familiar place, the surroundings shimmering like

they were inside a sunset and a continuous breeze flew through the sky.

"I've missed you .." Helios muttered softly into her ear, tickling her cheek with the tip of his nose

and kissed her cheek.

Putting her hands over his arms, she snuggled up to him. "I missed you, too."

She wasn't lying about it, not only had she missed the feeling of his body against hers

or hearing his gentle voice speak to her. She missed just the way he made her feel when she was in

his present - like nothing existed in their own little universe except the two of them.

Helios' hands caressed along her arms, feeling at peace to know that she was in his arms again,

but stopped when his arm felt a bump under her chest. Slowly, he moved his hand and placed it

onto her stomach,feeling it's roundness already, but - as if he were to make sure - ran his fingers

over the bulge.

"Maiden ..?"

The crack in his voice disturbed Serenity who had stood stiffly once he moved his hand,

her heart beat faster and she felt neausious with her anxiety. Loosening his grip on her,

Helios didn't move his gaze from her as she slowly turned around to face him.

"Is that .. why for all these months .." he muttered so softly that, if she hadn't seen his lips move,

she never had guessed he had asked.

"I'm sorry .." she felt horrible, like she really needed to apologize for distancing herself for

six months from him because of her condition. "I was just .. I wasn't sure how to tell you .."

It sounded like a feeble excuse to her, but she had been too nervous and scared and a whole lot

of other emotions to think up a good and easy way to tell him about their upcoming child.

Helios didn't move, nor said anything, with his eyes transfixed onto her stomach and the longer

he was quiet, the worse Serenity felt.

"It's just .. I mean, when I was here .." she stuttered and played with one of the tassels on

his clothes nervously. "I didn't know for a while myself and .. things have been weird, I mean ..

actually, I don't know about the gender and .. um .."

When he still didn't react, she felt like this was the reaction she had feared the most - rejection.

Helios didn't say anything, but it seemed to her like he didn't want the child - and there were times

where she had thought of not wanting it, either. But the thought of ridding herself of that one

strong bond she had with Helios through the child - and it being Helios' baby after all - she had

decided against it. She wanted it, to give birth to it and raise it, love it with the same amount of love

she felt for Helios.

Letting go of the tassel, Serenity felt like his decision was made and turned her head, ready to leave,

when she felt his arms circling her again and held her firmly, almost too tight, to his body. Although

the baby stomach was in the way, Helios held her close and nuzzled her neck with his voice.

"Thank you."

* * *

I'm really sorry about the long wait.  
As you can tell, I was having a bad cold when I started this and that stopped me from writing,  
constant nose-blowing and aching ears aren't the best conditions to write something.  
Um, this chapter has actually turned out much, much longer than I thought it would!  
And the mood changed from sweet, to depressive, to humorous and then back to sweet ..  
I'm thinking of making a sequel chapter to this, which contains the delivery.  
As for the tips and information here, I looked everything up about the aromatherapy - I wanted  
something that would calm nerves so Chibiusa could sleep and immediately thought of jasmine.  
And when I looked up the use of jasmine in aromatherapy, it helped cure insomnia!  
Logic is really awesome .. However, some of the things that I read - like clove for example - shouldn't  
be used during pregnancy, as the oil - when used for massages - goes into the skin and to the baby  
and can be harmful.

As for the Ylang Ylang Flower, it originates in the phillipines and means "flowers of flowers"  
and is mostly used as a condement for cosmetics mixed with coconut oil.

Also, Endymion seemed to play a big role in this - also rather the one of the dumbbell .. as for  
Helios looking like a young Endymion - one of Naoko's notes from the artbook says that's the way she  
had designed him, so he looks like a younger Endymion on purpose.  
Gotta say, though, I think he looks hotter!


	7. The Baby Arrives!

**Cat-Alin does not gain any profit by writing or publishing this story.  
All characters are owned by Naoko Takeuchi and TOEI Animation.**

A little chapter - the sequel chapter of the pregnancy.  
Not sure if it's going to be as long as the last one.

"Happy about hearing of Helios, Chibiusa is approaching her final months  
of pregnancy - is it a boy or a girl?"

* * *

"Thank you." Helios repeated, holding his dear maiden close to him and enjoyed feeling

her stomach press slightly against him. Slowly, Serenity put her arms around him

and finally backed up a bit to look into his face.

"What are you thanking me for?" she asked confused.

"For choosing to give birth to my child." he answered with a sweet smile. "I'm grateful for that."

Serenity felt her eyes burn and fill with tears suddenly, already running over her cheeks.

"Maiden ..?" Helios looked at her worried, wondering if he had said the wrong thing - but the girl

quickly shook her head and tried to wipe the tears away.

In the months she had been pregnant she had heard a lot of people congratulating her

and cheering for her, some seemed more concerned or worried, but mostly it was good news.

But nobody had ever thanked her ..!

Hearing those words made her feel all warm and appreciated, although she had known how

much she was liked and loved at home, she felt like she had _needed_ to hear those words

for a really long time now.

She calmed down quickly and got rid of any rest fluid from her face and smiled,

trying to show that she wasn't angry or sad. The priest had watched her all this time and

felt reassured when she smiled.

"Ah, maybe standing isn't so good. You're probably tired." he mumbled suddenly, realizing how

long they had been standing there and how uncomfortable it might be to her.

"No, it's okay ..!" she stuttered and gasped when he suddenly picked her up into his arms

and carried her over the short path. And, soon enough, they entered his chambers where

they had spent their nights during her previous stay.

Setting her down on the soft bed, Serenity felt herself almost losing her balance - she had

forgotten just _how_ soft the bed actually was - and Helios sat next to her, keeping an arm

around her shoulders.

Being so close to him made her feel calm and relaxed and, when she helped herself to his lap,

leaned her head against his chest and could hear his heart beating slightly.

Helios tugged her a little closer, feeling her soft skin under his hand and carefully, like he wasn't

sure how to touch it or how much pressure to put on it, he put his other hand over her stomach.

It felt hot, like fire, and, through her clothes, he could also feel how soft it was.

Serenity giggled when she saw his slightly confused and even intimidated expression,

knowing how hard it might be to know what to do. She nuzzled his cheek with her fingers

and played with a curl of his hair - Helios, feeling her touch, looked down at her and almost

gasped when he saw her expression.

It was one of bliss, with a slight sense of sadness in it and something in her eyes that seemed

to call him to her, to seduce him. Finally, Helios cupped her face into his hands and kissed

her, almost immediately reciprocating the little explorational game with her tongue.

He thoughroughly enjoyed tasting her, he had missed her badly during the last six months

and, although his heart had told him to immediately meet her again in her dreams - something they

had done regularely - duty had prevailed. It told him that he had to keep his mind focused on his job,

to give _her_ some time as well. Wait for her to get back into her own routine, maybe - if she was

pestered long enough - to tell her friends of her little retreat.

And once he thought of re-entering her dreams, after waiting a month or two, he realized he couldn't.

Her willpower, and maybe even a little power of her Pink Moon Crystal, had put a strong barrier around

her dreams, preventing anyone from entering them. Helios had been confused, started to worry that

maybe she was angry at him - that her stay couldn't be extended, maybe she even had thoughts of

him not wanting her in Elysion. Or even that - and he hated himself for letting his thoughts stray

in such a direction - she had met someone else during that short time and fallen in love anew.

Now, though, he realized that she hadn't thought or done any such thing.

Subconsciously, her anxiety and insecurity about her condition and how to tell him had made

that barrier. She hadn't really meant to shut him out, but she had - not on purpose, though.

Finally, the deep kiss broke as the two lovers were in need of oxygen and gasped slightly,

their eyes locked onto another.

Serenity's hand caressed his cheek again and she wound her arms around his neck,

their faces barely an inch apart and looked at him with her ruby eyes, a glitter of lust and of longing

mixing in them.

"Not yet .." she moaned quietly and kissed the priest again, her tongue licking his lips,

exploring every corner of his mouth, trying to taste everything of her lover that she could.

* * *

Footsteps echoed loudly in the long narrow hallway and sunlight played with the crystal walls,

making pretty color games and dotting everything in a rainbow. It was still a bit early in the morning,

but he saw several maids and valets passing him, looking as if they had prepared things for a few hours.

"It's you, right?" a high voice said and a hand slapped him on the back in a playful matter.

The priest stopped and turned, seeing a young woman with long blonde hair and a grin on her lips.

"Wow, it's really you! Been a while." she said.

"Ah, Venus-sama .." he greeted her. "It has been, yes."

She pointed at him and wagged her finger in a disapproving way. "Call me Minako, everybody does. Mi-Na-Ko."

"Minako!" a woman with brown hair in a ponytail caught up. "Don't run off like that ..! Oh? Helios?"

Through the most mysterious workings of large buildings, it barely took two minutes and the other

guardians of the Queen appeared in the same corridor.

And even the King and Queen soon met them all.

Helios bowed to the reigning royals.

"Helios, something's been bothering me for a while." Minako said. "How come you haven't shown your

face at all until now, what with Small L-ah, Serenity being pregnant? You're not the type to hide away

from this responsibility .. are you?"

"Of course not." he answered quickly. "I merely had no knowledge of the pregnancy. My maiden didn't

tell me anything about it until just yesterday."

Surprised that the princess hadn't said anything about it, they all were quiet and didn't notice the maid

passing and then retracked to stop in front of them.

"Mizuno-sama, the Miss requires you." she said, looking a bit worried.

"Oh? For what?" Ami asked, wondering what her patient wanted her for now that couldn't wait

until later in the afternoon.

"Ah, she's complaining of stomachaches .."

Concerned, Ami hurried with the maid into the princess' chamber while everyone else stared after her,

their expressions stricken with either worry or shock.

Waiting anxiously, they stood stock still in the hallway - or walked along it - hoping that whatever

might be going on in the room was harmless and nothing to really worry about.

Finally, after what seemed to be an hour, the door opened again and Ami came out,

feeling everyone's gaze on her.

"She's fine. Just a bit overexcited over having seen Helios." she calmed them down. "It was a bit much,

if I understood correctly it had been a while. She should take it easy for the rest of the day, though."

Helios sighed relived, a bit uncomfortable over their meeting being the reason for this situation.

"I'm glad to hear that .." he muttered.

The door opened wider and Serenity stood there, then waddled a bit as she almost jumped at the

priest, a bright smile on her face. "Helios!"

Helios smiled and embraced his maiden.

"Serenity, I told you to take it easy!" Ami scolded her, pushing her decorative glasses up. "You should

stay in bed for today!"

"Only if Helios joins me." the princess mumbled from the folds of the priest's shirt, her words getting

varied reactions from the others. Helios sighed slightly amused.

"I get it .." he said and carried her, walking into the room and sat down on the bed.

The doctor sighed. "Just make sure she doesn't do too much .." she warned them, closing the door

to leave.

"No naughties!" Minako's voice yelled into the room before the door shut and they merely heard the

reactionary discussion.

* * *

They were lying on the bed that was much bigger than one person needed it to be,

enjoying the quiet and each other's presence. Serenity played with his fingers, keeping her legs

interlocked with his and was resting the protrudging stomach on him.

"This is the most comfortable I've been up to now .." she said lazily, feeling her happiness being

swept away with drowsiness, the comfortable position made her want to sleep and to catch up

on any sleep she might've been deprived of lately.

Helios chuckled and curled a strand of her hair around his fingers. "Maiden, I've been wondering .."

"Mh?"

"Are we going to have a son or daughter?" he asked, feeling her fingers stop and looked down at her.

"I .. I don't know. I chose not to find out." she answered. "Do _you_ want to know?"

".. No. I'll be just as surprised as you when he or she is here. As long as nothing bad happens to

either of you, I'll be happy."

Smiling, the princess sat up a bit and kissed him on the lips.

She settled back down, her head resting against his shoulder and slowly felt herself falling asleep.

Helios watched his maiden's sleeping face, wondering for a moment if he should enter her dream

and calm his curiosity - it could be that she was dreaming of their child, how it might act or

what it might look like - but he decided to not do so. Entering dreams took a lot of energy and

he felt that he should let her have her own dreams, she would be sleeping less sooner, anyway.

After a while, he noticed slight goosebumps on her arms and slowly unwound his legs from hers,

trying to get her to lie a bit more on him and move the blanket at the same time.

With some quirky movements and some one-footed jumping, Helios managed to lie back down onto

the sheeted matress and pulled the blanket over himself and his maiden.

"Mh .. mhh?" Serenity squirmed a bit, close to waking up.

"Shh .." the priest held her closer, making sure her stomach wasn't in either of their way,

and put his lips against her forehead.

The princess mumbled something incoherent and snuggled up to him.

Time passed slowly, uneventful, where both merely enjoyed their time together - even if one of

them was in rather deep sleep.

When Serenity woke up again, it was late afternoon and she sat up, still groggy.

Helios couldn't help himself and chuckled at her rather disorientated behavior and her hair roughed

up and tangled, he hadn't seen it very often but it was a hilarious sight.

Yawning, Serenity crawled carefully over him and got up, stretching when her bare feet touched

the cool floor. "I'm going to take a bath .." she mumbled sleepy.

"Didn't Mizuno-sama say that you should take it easy and stay in bed?" the priest asked, sitting up

and looking worried.

"What could be more relaxing than a nice warm bath?" his maiden asked back, smirking. "And I'll

make sure to not get it too hot."

Helios sighed, knew that she had made up her mind and let her go into the adjacent bathroom,

while he lay back down onto the bed and wondered what he should do for the time-being.

In Elysion, most of his time was spent with praying and otherwise with reading the filled

bookshelves. Over time, though, he had read everything and kept looking for ways to

pass the time ..

Hearing the water running, he was concerned - perhaps it wasn't a good idea to let her take a bath.

At least not alone. He didn't know much about pregnancy - it was something that never really

interested or concerned him much - so he wasn't sure what to do or not. Although he knew that

trying to talk his maiden out of the idea was a thing of the impossible, he should've tried.

Sighing deeply, the priest noticed a book on the bedside table he hadn't seen before and curiously

picked it up and saw that it was a preparation book for pregnant women.

It couldn't hurt to learn _now_, so he carelessly opened the book and began reading it.

* * *

Sporadic water splashing or even a few tunes being hummed assured Helios that Serenity was

doing fine on her own - at least, that she hadn't fallen asleep or fainted from the heat.

Being thouroughly entertained with the informatic book, the priest began to relax and

thought that his maiden should come out soon - an hour had already passed.

A loud clatter and dull thud made him start!

Throwing the book onto the bed and jumping up to rush to the bathroom,

Helios threw the door open, forgetting any sort of mannerism, normal for such a situation.

"Maiden?"

Serenity was sitting sideways on the bathrug, holding a towel in front of herself and took deep,

calming breaths. A small wooden basket lay overturned on the ground next to a white stool

and bathing oils and shampoo were scattered close-by.

"Maiden? Are you alright?" he asked and knelt beside her.

"Ah .. a bit dizzy .." the princess stuttered between breaths. "Guess the water was hotter

than I thought .."

Wondering if he should move her or tell her to wait and get a doctor, he saw that she was slowly

starting to get up herself and quickly lent a helping hand. Escorting her to the bed, Serenity

sat down with a sigh, still clutching the towel.

"Try to lie down, I'll get Mizuno-sama so she can check you up." Helios said and turned to leave,

but felt her pulling his sleeve to stop him.

"I'm fine, Helios. Really. Just a bit overheated."

"But the fall .."

"I barely fell any distance." she calmed him down with a sweet smile. "I was pretty much sitting on

the floor anyway. I bent down to get the body lotion but felt dizzy and knocked the basket over."

Helios still didn't look very reassured, but felt powerless against her smile and finally agreed to

not get the doctor. He didn't feel very comfortable about it, though.

The princess fanned herself a bit, starting to cool down. "Could you get the body lotion from

the bathroom, please? I haven't used it yet."

The priest nodded and entered the bathroom again, looking at the various bottles on the floor

and finally found one that said body lotion and picked it up, putting the others back into the

basket he had turned over.

"Thank you." Serenity said when he gave her the bottle. "Say, would you put the lotion on my

back, please? Hard to get to, after all."

Sitting down next to her, Serenity turned her body slightly away from him and,

with some of the lotion on his hands, began to spread it over her back and shoulders.

Helios got rather conscious of the fact that she was naked and, like on cue, the senses in

his hands seemed to intensify and told him of every line and curve his maiden's figure was made of.

Feeling her soft skin beneath his hands as he massaged the lotion in a bit, the shape of her neck

pronounced so much because she still had her long hair tied up, his mind took him back to the

times with her in Elysion - times where he had held that slender form in his arms, where her hot

breath had tickled his ears, their bodies and hearts joined as if they never wanted to let go.

The priest sighed deeply when he realized that this was torture for him ..!

* * *

A cool breeze nuzzled the cheek of the priest and he felt himself wake up, realizing at once that

the two balcony doors were wide open. A peek at the clock told him that it was five thirty and

he stretched, trying to go back to sleep. But he noticed that nobody was next to him in bed and

he sat up, looking around for his maiden. Thinking the obvious, Helios got up and threw a thick

bathrobe over himself and headed for the balcony, seeing the heavy raindrops splattering on the ground

and making the ivory tiles glisten and sparkle.

Serenity was standing out on the balcony, her head lifted a bit to stare at the thick dark clouds and

equally dark patches of sky and the rain falling all around her. She was still standing under a slight awning,

the ground around her just barely getting hit and herself completely dry.

"What are you doing?" Helios asked, still a bit sleepy.

Serenity turned her head towards him, then back. "Couldn't sleep. I thought fresh air might help."

The priest said nothing, but thought plenty of her getting up and going out without wearing anything

except her nightgown, which had no sleeves. And despite summer approaching, this wasn't a warm summer

rain but quite the opposite of it.

"I kind of wanted to go outside today .." the princess sighed defeated, letting her head hang.

"Well, it would be nice, but .."

"The weather is against it, I know."

Helios noticed that she was barefoot as the wind and rain picked up. "Come back in, maiden. You shouldn't be

standing here, getting cold."

"I'm not cold." she answered, but he didn't believe.

"Come on."

Something in his voice made her turn and she saw him smiling sweetly at her, spreading his arms in a welcoming fashion

and bathrobe whipping about it from the wind, exposing his chest now and then. "I'll warm you."

Happily, Serenity almost leaped into his arms and enjoyed the warmth of his chest, the strong protective

feeling his arms around her gave her. They both stood like that for a long time, before finally going back to bed.

Her fingers traced his collar bone, feeling his soft skin beneath her and feeling a bit disappointed that she still

wasn't very sleepy.

"Helios."

"Mh?" the priest's calm breathing calmed her down as well, but she knew she had better say what she wanted to soon,

as she could tell that he was tired and close to falling asleep again.

"I want to go to Elysion."

He smiled a bit at her words. "You know, it's just going to rain there as well."

"I know. It's just .. ever since I came back here, I've been confined in my room or just a few of the rooms close-by.

To be honest, I'm quite sick of it. I know that they're just trying to make sure I'm fine and the baby's safe, but .."

Helios ran his hand through her hair, playing with a few curls.

"I can understand that. We'll ask if it's alright for you to travel there."

It wasn't a definite promise, but something to look forward to and they both got quiet and fell asleep,

although Serenity took longer, and they slept almost until noon.

"You want to what?" Ami asked surprised when she came into the room an hour later for a check-up.

Serenity had almost immediately told her about her request on taking a little trip.

"Please, I'm tired of just seeing the inside of my room for the past six months." the princess begged. "I know that

during the first trimester travel can be dangerous and it's pretty much forbidden in the third trimester, so I'm

in the absolute okay-zone, right?"

Helios remained quiet, not wanting to enter this conversation, but he did feel that Serenity was right and

should be allowed outside of the palace, at the very least. But he didn't know how strict Ami might be or what

everyone else might think of it.

Ami set her small computer and little kit onto the bedside table and sat down in a chair. "While I do not want

to punish you or make you feel bad by staying inside all the time, I do have to be sure that any sort of trip wouldn't

harm you or the baby in any way. And I'd need to be sure that, in case of an emergency, somebody would be there

who could help you."

They all were quiet and proceeded with their usual check-up routine, completely ignoring the topic they had just

discussed. Helios was holding Serenity's hand, having his lap used as a pillow substitute, during the sonogram and

he did feel curious as to what the gender of his child might be. But he had decided to not ask and even if he gave

in, he'd feel bad about knowing while his maiden didn't.

Ami smiled mysteriously as she moved the roller carefully over Serenity's stomach and finally hovered her fingers

over different keys on the board. "Want a little treat for yourselves?"

Not knowing what she meant, the two shrugged their shoulders and nodded at the same time, which Ami took

as a sign that she could give them a treat if she wanted to or not. Pressing keys, she moved the roller a bit up

and, pressing one last key, a loud heartbeat sounded from her small computer. The heartbeat was different from

what one would usually associate the sound of a heartbeat from, but it was loud and steady. And the two expecting

parents' cheeks flushed as they heard the first full proof that they had a child, that it was alive and well.

Ami giggled and left the heartbeat continue to sound until the sonogram was done.

"So, you feeling alright? No pain or cramps, dizziness or bloody discharge?" she asked professionally.

"No, I'm fine."

"Well .." Helios hesitated, fighting with himself if he should tell her or not. "She was taking a bath yesterday and

fell to the ground afterwards."

"I told you, I was just a bit overheated." the princess replied immediately and looked at Ami. "Ami, really, it was barely

a fall. I was really close to the ground, I bent over and slipped a bit. And I didn't have any cramps or pain or anything

going wrong afterwards."

"And you're not just saying this to make me let you go?" the doctor asked and smirked a bit. "Don't worry, I believe you.

If, as you say, you barely fell any sort of distance and didn't feel worse afterwards, it was nothing."

Serenity sighed relieved, thinking everything was alright now.

Ami wasn't done with her examination, though, as she felt Serenity's throat, her forehead and asked her some more questions

or checked her pulse and sugarlevel. "Mhh .." she said thoughtfully. "you're a bit cold."

Hoping that her lover wouldn't mention the standing in the rain, Serenity remained quiet.

"And your pulse and sugarlevels are a bit high .."

"Probably because I haven't eaten yet." the princess admitted, smiling. "Slept in."

Ami raised her eyebrows, but decided to not go into that part any further. She asked for a maid and, a few minutes later,

the King and Queen, as well as the Queen's and the Princess' personal guardians entered the room, wondering why

they had been called here.

"Serenity wants to go on a little trip to Elysion. Now, in my professional opinion, I don't see any problem with her going.

She and the little one are just fine. But I'd like to know if any of you have any objection to it or not."

"I think it's fine if Serenity leaves Crystal Tokyo for a while. She hasn't been outside for a long time, anyway, and a change

of space is always refreshing." the Queen said and her husband agreed.

"I'm rather against her going that far away." Rei admitted openly. "Things could get out of hand, but I do trust Helios to

make sure she's going to be alright. So, as long as she's safe, I don't mind."

Similar opinions were heard from the rest - some more willing to let her go, others felt that at least one of the guardians

should come along - and Ami clapped her hands in a final matter then.

"Well, that's good news for you then." she said, turning to the princess. "You can go to Elysion for a while, but I do have

some things to say about this."

Listening intently, despite their excitement being obvious, the two expecting parents leaned forwards.

"First of all, come back soon - you can stay a few days, but not too long. Nothing against Elysion, Helios, but I really would

prefer for Serenity to be in the palace when she goes into labor. We have all the equipment we might need." Ami counted off,

her eyes gentle but her voice quite strict. "Second, I have to agree with some of them - I'm not very comfortable with

you going on your own. Like I said, if an emergency came up-"

"While I'm not a trained doctor like you, I have some medical knowledge and could help if small things came up." Helios said,

interrupting, which wasn't his fashion. "And if you are needed, I can come to the palace faster than you'd expect.

And Serenity wouldn't be left alone, the maenads are there all the time and would be most willing to help."

Ami pushed her glasses up and studied the priest.

"Alright. I'll leave it to you and the maenads, then. I won't insist on one of us coming along." she agreed

and sighed slightly. "And finally .. I insist that you two eat before leaving. And, Serenity, take something to wrap up in,

you need to warm up." She then left the room, ordering a rather late lunch for the two.

Serenity sighed relieved and leaned against Helios, happy to know that she was allowed to finally get out and to return

to Elysion, a place that she loved and where everything had begun.

* * *

That gentle breeze she felt familiar with greeted her and Helios as they entered Elysion a few hours later.

Like Ami had ordered, Serenity had wrapped up nice and warm and both had taken a rather late lunch to themselves,

but - after a last-minute check up - they were on their way to Helios' home.

Now, in Elysion, it somehow felt to the princess like she hadn't been gone that long after all.

Everything still looked and felt the same way, but the weather was as bad as it was back at the palace - and yet,

it felt much softer and warmer than there.

Walking towards the shrine, the priest holding a large umbrella over himself and his maiden, Serenity playfully

grabbed his hand and squeezed it, realizing that they hadn't done that very often. Or at all.

Getting a squeeze back, they noticed someone hurrying towards them who was also holding an umbrella.

"Helios-sama!" the young girl said, her pale-pink hair in high tails and long gown flowing along it to the ground, said.

She stopped and sighed, catching her breath for a minute.

"My sister and I were worried! Please, don't just leave all of a sudden."

"I'm sorry, Eos." the priest apologized, noticing that the princess was looking at him surprised.

"You left? Just like that?" she asked, confused and rather annoyed with him, but didn't stay that way very long

when she saw an embarrassed grin on his lips.

"The news excited me and I wanted to see you soon."

"News?" Eos asked and saw the bulge on Serenity. "Why, you are expecting ..!"

Serenity smiled the same embarrassed way Helios had. "Yes."

"Congratulations! I must tell my sister immediately!" Eos gasped and turned around, rushing towards the shrine.

Slowly following her, the two lovers took a little detour to Helios' chamber to get out of the rain and rest.

They weren't alone for very long because the door opened and two girls entered, looking identical.

One of them, the one they hadn't met before, took Serenity's hands into hers.

"I first thought Eos was joking, but it's true. Congratulations, I hope you will have a safe delivery!"

"Thank you, Selene. I hope so, too." the princess giggled.

The shrine maiden looked at her. "Do you know what it'll be?"

"Ah, no, we decided not to know .. let ourselves get surprised."

Helios noticed how Serenity's voice wandered off for a moment and ruffled her hair affectionately. "I think a nap would

suit you well, Maiden. Getting up at ungodly hours .."

And with barely any arguing, Serenity lay down on Helios' bed and was asleep in two shakes before she knew it.

* * *

"Mylady Serenity!"

The princess stopped and turned, seeing one of the shrine maidens coming up behind her.

"Ah, .. um, are you Eos or Selene?"

"I'm Eos, Mylady." the shrine maiden giggled, knowing how hard it could be to distinguish her from her sister. "What are you doing?"

"Ah, just going for a walk. I didn't see everything of Elysion the last time I was here .."

"Do you mind if I walk along with you?"

Serenity looked at her surprised, then giggled and set off, Eos following her. "Let me guess, Helios has set you on me.

He thinks I can't be trusted on my own while pregnant? Merely because of one little fall?"

"Not quite .. while you took a nap yesterday, he told us that we should watch out for a bit. He told us about the fall,

but I think he's just worried about you in general. And he wouldn't want anything bad happening to you, of course."

The two women walked over a long stretch of grass and the pink sky reflected in the crystals that formed out of the lake at

various places, the air almost glittering. Seeing a curve around a group of trees and an even larger portion of this land,

Serenity sighed.

"Elysion sure is big .."

"Much larger than one would think at first." Eos agreed. "Even Helios-sama needs his pegasus to see it all, Mylady."

"Say, Eos, could you and Selene just call me Serenity? Due to the name, most people refer to my mother as Mylady Serenity."

"If it's alright with you .. although I'd feel quite rude doing so."

The princess just smiled, but flinched so badly it made her bend over slightly and grab her stomach.

The shrine maiden stared and kneeled down when Serenity did and looked worried. "Mylady? Do you require assisstance?

Shall I fetch Helios-sama?"

Serenity didn't answer but looked quite perplexed and stared blankly into space for a few seconds,

not realizing how anxious Eos was getting. The shrine maiden put a hand onto her shoulder, shaking her very carefully.

"Mylady? Are you alright? Are you hurt? Please, lie down and let me run to get Helios-sama!"

She was already standing up and turned to run off, but the princess grabbed her arm and so she turned back to look at her.

"No .." was all she said and lay the girl's hand onto her stomach, feeling the stretched skin, how soft it was, and her bodyheat

almost burning her hand.

And then she felt something bump against the palm of her hand.

Quietly, like all strength left her legs, Eos sank to the floor and didn't move her hand, which Serenity was still placing over

her stomach, feeling the baby kick and move about. For several minutes, they didn't say anything, didn't move, they barely

even breathed, and paid attention to the baby moving wildly inside the womb for the first time.

Eos' eyes strayed from the stomach to the princess' face and saw a serene expression on it, her eyes closed as if she wanted

to turn off all of her senses except her sense of feeling. The shrine maiden swallowed and felt a little spark of envy flareing up

inside of her, wanting to know what it felt like to be pregnant from the man she loved and how it must feel to have the baby,

the living proof of their love, move inside one - really making itself noticeable.

After what seemed like forever, the kicking stopped and Serenity giggled, slowly getting up.

"I think we should head back, before Helios looks for us. If he saw me on the ground, he'd take me home right away." she said

and still held that serene expression. "I suppose I'll have to wait until after the baby is born to see all of Elysion."

Eos agreed silently and the two slowly made their way back to where they came from and didn't speak, although they both

thought plenty and wanted to talk about it. But somehow, they couldn't.

"I hope everything will be alright." Eos finally said when they were close to the shrine and almost at the private chambers again.

The princess looked at the shrine maiden, slightly surprised. "Why?"

"Well, you flinched badly .."

"The sudden movement startled me, that's all." Serenity said and hugged Eos for a second. "I want to thank you. That was the

first time the baby moved and I'm glad that I could share that moment with someone. It wouldn't have been that memorable

if I had been the only one."

The shrine maiden flushed deeply at those words and laughed embarrassed. "Ah, well, glad I could help! E-excuse me." she stuttered

and left quickly. Barely a second after she left, Helios was walking towards Serenity with a sigh.

"There you are. I know Eos made sure you would be alright, but I was still starting to worry .." he told her, relieved to see that

she was doing just fine and had seemed to enjoy that walk.

Serenity turned towards him and smiled a beautiful smile, almost leaping into his arms.

"Maiden?" the priest asked, just as she put her lips against his and kissed him deeply, like all her love for him was put into that kiss,

like it was flowing out all over the place. When the kiss finally broke, both were out of breath and a deep flush had risen in their

cheeks. "What was that for?" Helios teased her, their faces barely apart from each other.

As an answer, Serenity just kissed him again.

* * *

Serenity lay quietly in bed, sitting up with a bunch of pillows behind her to support her back and one of her hands was

entwined with Helios', the other playing with a few of his curls. The priest was laying sideways to her, his head on the bit

of lap she still had, what with her stomach taking up more and more room, and closed his eyes, a tiny smile hovering on his lips.

Serenity had told him about how the baby had moved and while Helios was glad to hear that it had and knew how happy

his maiden was for being able to share that moment with someone else, he did have to admit to himself that he felt rather

disappointed or even jealous for not having been there. The princess had quickly cheered him up by saying that the baby

was moving a bit again. And instead of merely feeling it move by the way of his hand, Helios had said he wanted a more direct

feeling - and having his ear as close as possible to the baby, he not only felt it moving, but also heard it move inside of his maiden.

Wondering how much it already perceived of it's surroundings, if it knew how much joy and happiness it was already bringing to

his parents and friends even before it was born.

"I am getting curious about the gender." Serenity confessed when the moving stopped, they remaining as immobile as

the baby was now.

"If you really want to know, you can ask Mizuno-sama."

"M-hm. I'm not going to. I'm going to get surprised." she said, shaking her head, and noticed that Helios had fallen asleep.

The next few days in Elysion were almost eventless.

The baby started to move a lot and everyone got to feel it for a bit, but mostly it was just Serenity and Helios,

forming their own private experiences with the pregnancy. Even if there was no movement, Helios still enjoyed laying his head

onto Serenity's lap and staying there for hours, enjoying the closeness and even ending up taking naps more often.

On their way back to the palace, neither of them said a word on the long ride, as both were feeling relaxed and refreshed at

the same time, it made them sleepy. And returning to Serenity's room, it didn't seem like a place that she was confinded to

anymore - the little stay in Elysion had freed her and made her look forward to coming home, to see her family and friends

again and to wait out the last months of her pregnancy.

When they entered the room, their eyes fell immediately onto the new object that had been placed inside it.

It was a baby's crib, made from wood that had been painted white and carved with an intricate design along the bottom,

the curved legs smoothed out perfectly to let it cradle gently and the little matress inside was covered with an olivegreen

sheet and fitting pillow, a white blanket tucked in at the last third part.

"Ah, I see you've found it already." the Queen said, who had heard of their arrival and hurried to greet them, her husband

a few steps behind her. "Welcome back, you two. Or, three."

The two turned to her and Serenity was embarrassed to notice slight tears in her own eyes. "It's perfect!"

The Queen giggled, "Actually, your father made this. He started shortly after you two left."

"Really?" the princess asked and looked at the King, who avoided her gaze shyly. "Thank you, Papa!"

And she threw her arms around his chest and buried her head against it, giving him a bear hug the best she could. The King

was rather surprised by this sudden gesture and a blush crept up his cheeks until he hugged his daughter back.

Once the first wave of emotions ebbed away, the family parted from each other and the King looked at the priest.

"Helios, we still need to have a little chat." he said in a slightly darker tone and nodded to tell him that he should follow him,

that the two of them _would_ talk. Now.

"Yes, Sire." the priest said and gave Serenity's hand a quick squeeze before the two men left, leaving the women.

"Um, .. Papa isn't going to be too rough on him .. will he?" the younger woman asked uncertain.

"I'm sure he won't .. well, I think so, at least." the Queen admitted and giggled.

The two men retired to the study and sat opposite each other in thickly cushioned wine-red armchairs, the oriental rug

underneath their feet and the musty smell of books got barely noticed by the two as they locked eyes.

It took a while until either of them spoke.

"Well, Helios, to be quite frank .." the King finally said, leaning back in the chair. "As a father, I have mixed feelings for

this situation and your relationship with my daughter."

Helios was the opposite, leaning forwards slightly. "I know that the child she is expecting was not planned, but I can

assure you that I'll do anything I can to make sure that-" He stopped when the King held his hand up.

"I know that. You're are a responsible man, Helios. You are a good priest, who has done his job well for such a long

time. I value you as a companion and a good friend." he assured him.

The priest was silent, waiting for anything the King might have to say.

"I'd lie if I said that I wasn't uncomfortable, or even worried, when my wife and I allowed Serenity to stay with you

for a while." the King admitted, smirking slightly. "I had almost expected her to return home, different from the way she

was before. Although I hadn't counted on an unplanned pregnancy so soon."

Helios' gaze immediately fixated onto the rug, his face a bright peppermint pink color, and knew better than to tell

his maiden's father that they had made love almost every night.

"I apologize, Sire .. maybe it had been a bad idea .." he muttered almost inaudibly and heard the man laugh.

"I don't blame you, Helios. Neither you, nor Serenity. It's natural to want to sleep with the person you love. I'm her father,

so I hate and like you on various levels. I'm a bit irked that you made her this happy by being with her, but I'm also glad

that you did - every father wants his daughter to find happiness with another man. But also resents it. Complicated, rather."

The King got up and the priest followed automatically and saw his superior stretching his hand out.

"Thank you, Helios. Let's hope that the baby will be born healthy and you two will have as much joy in being parents as

Serenity has with me and my wife. You two have my blessing." the King said and shook Helios' hand, who nodded vigorously.

Smiling and showing that The Talk was over, the two left the study and saw their respective lovers close to the doorframe.

Caught, the two laughed sheepishly and turned away, their cheeks flushed. Especially Serenity, as she had heard most of

what they had talked about and felt happy to know that her father was content with her relationship with Helios and yet

embarrassed and guilty for having found happiness with him.

"You know you shouldn't be on your feet too long." the King sighed at his daughter.

"Ah, I .. I was just on my way back, anyway ..!" the princess stuttered.

The four made their way slowly, the two girls having a whispery conversation, wondering what else the King might've said

to Helios and if another Talk was to come.

"Say, Helios, do you two know what the baby will be named?" the King asked suddenly, curious and wondering.

"Actually, no .. since we don't know the gender, we haven't thought of any names. We should, though .." the priest admitted,

noticing how Serenity flushed and knew her mind was whirring with several names already.

"You don't know? Ah .." the darkhaired man's gaze strayed to his wife. "Maybe my Serenity is hiding something else from me?"

The Queen coughed slightly, then giggled and smiled at her husband. "Oh, no, I'm not. The youngster'll be here soon enough,

so why hide anything now?"

Helios' ears picked it up and he blinked, thoughts running wild in his head and wondered if he had heard correctly.

* * *

"I've been waiting!" Ami said sternly when, a while later, Serenity and Helios entered her room again and saw

the doctor sitting on a chair, her portable computer next to her. "You're late for your scheduled check-up."

"Ah." Serenity went and hadn't really registered that Ami wanted to check her up just after she came back,

so she quickly lay down on the bed and lifted her dress and let Ami begin the routine sonogram.

Sitting next to his maiden on the bed, Helios waited.

"Did anything happen while you were in Elysion?" the doctor asked, typing furiously on the keyboard with one hand.

"The baby kicked!" the princess answered immediately, giddy with happiness and saw Ami smile, too.

"That's good news." she told her. "It might move a bit more within the next week or two. After that it'll stay quiet

for a while. If you feel it move a lot in a month or two, it's because it's turning around, preparing for birth."

The two expecting parents nodded at the information.

"How are you feeling, actually? Feverish? Tired? Or did you hurt yourself anywhere?"

"No, I'm fine. A bit tired, but I'm getting used to it."

Ami nodded and continued to examine her in silence until she slowly started packing up.

"So .. how's the baby doing?" Helios finally asked, wondering if Ami would say the same as the Queen.

"Such a cutie's just doing fine!" Ami said and smiled. "In a few months, you'll hold a little royal sweetheart in your arms."

She bowed slightly and left, not noticing how confused Helios looked.

"Helios?" Serenity asked, sitting up.

The priest frowned. "So .. is it a boy or a girl?"

"Mh?"

"Ah, your mother said youngster, so I thought she meant we're having a son. And I wondered if Mizuno-sensei would

say something similar, but she says sweetheart, so .. it's a girl?" he wondered out loud, sighing deeply.

Serenity giggled, remembering that she hadn't told him. "It's just teasing. All the girls are saying sweetheart,

rascal, cutiepie and such - they change it all the time. They just want to drive us insane with guessing."

Thinking that they were succeeding, the priest sighed and quickly came to the conclusion to not ask any of the girls

about the gender. That teasing would drive him insane - and it seems like the King didn't know the gender, either ..

"Hey." Serenity said and took his hand, putting it on her stomach and he felt the familiar warmth and tiny bumps.

Smiling, he almost immediately lay down and held his ear close, listening to his child.

* * *

Weeks passed and everybody was getting excited - Serenity was well into her eighth month now and the birth

would be imminent. The weekly check ups with Ami changed to daily ones and Serenity was absolutely forbidden

from doing any heavy lifting, strainious exercise or anything that might stress her out.

So she spent her days in her room, usually lying down, and reading a book, daydreaming or even napping.

Helios was walking briskly down the hall to the princess' chambers, eager to see her again. He had left for Elysion

a while ago, resuming his duties as the shrine maidens couldn't take over all the time.

The Queen met him in the hall. "Ah, hello, Helios." she said. "Nice to see you back again."

"Morning, Queen. You have met Serenity?" he asked, the princess' chambers being the only rooms down that hall.

"Yes. You're on your way to her, aren't you?" she asked back and he nodded. "Not to put you off, but I'd rather give you

a little head-start - Serenity is not feeling so well today."

"Is she ill?"

"No, just .. rather in a bad mood. It's the pregnancy." the Queen explained. "She's nearing the deadline, she's having

mood swings again and might be even impatient. So, if she snaps at you or talks ill of anything, don't take it too

seriously. She might seem angry for no reason, but it's just emotions. Nothing to do with you."

"I'll remember that." Helios smiled and continued, finally stopping in front of the door and knocked.

Hearing a muffled sound, he entered and closed the door behind himself. "Morning, Maiden."

Serenity was sitting on her bed, her stomach positively huge, and had her arms wrapped around herself, an abandoned

cover up lying next to her. Her head was turned to look out the window, but she looked at Helios when he drew closer,

and she remained silent.

"Maiden?"

".. Morning." she said, changing her gaze to the tiled floor.

"How are you? And the baby?" he asked friendly, smiling.

Serenity sighed and hesitated. "Fine. Glad you're back."

Helios opted to sit next to her on the bed, but kept a little distance between the two of them - she didn't seem her usual

self and getting too close might upset or annoy her. Both were quiet for a while, until Serenity broke the silence.

"How long are you staying? After all, you told me that you can't stay in this world too long."

"Back when I was cursed. I can stay as long as I want to - since you broke the seal on the Golden Crystal and I have

complete control over it, my powers aren't limited the way they used to be."

"So, why did you go back to Elysion for a while?" she asked, trying to be nonchalant.

The priest tried to be patient, knowing that he had explained it to her before and tried to remember the Queen's words.

"Because I'm needed there. It's my duty to watch over dreams. I can leave for a while, but I need to resume my position.

I know that Eos and Selene are almost as powerful as I am, but I can't dump all the responsiblity on them and go away."

Serenity flinched slightly when the two shrine maidens were mentioned and frowned, her gut flareing with a fire.

"Yes, they're perfect! Almost as powerful as you, they can take care of things." she said, a note of perhaps jealousy in her voice.

"Maiden .." the priest begun softly, but Serenity interrupted him.

"That's _not_ my name! Why do you think you need to go back, when those two are so powerful? Hiding away in Elysion is just

a coward's way to avoid taking responsibility for me and the baby! Tell it to me straight, if you don't want the child or

would rather stay away from me, and don't go to the other maidens!" she yelled at him and turned her head back to the window,

glareing at the sky through the window panes. "Just leave me alone ..!"

The priest hesitated for a while, but knew that arguing would be useless right then, and patted her hand gently before he got up

and left the room. Closing the door behind him again, Helios sighed and leaned against the door, trying to remain calm

and controlled. Like the Queen had said, Serenity was merely having mood swings and shouldn't be punished for her outbursts.

At least not much, because he was sure a part of her feelings were honest and while a part of him was happy to know that

she felt comfortable enough with him to _be_ honest with him, it was a tiny part. A different part, though, felt like starting

an argument with her, to get all sorts of honest, but intense and maybe even painful, feelings out and once that was done,

they could go back to an excited state over the baby's arrival. If they were to speak with each other after the fight ..

"Intense, isn't it?" the Queen asked. She had stayed back to wait and see how her daughter might act towards Helios

and had seen him leave just a few minutes after entering.

"You could say that." the priest admitted.

"I hope that you aren't taking her words to heart." the Queen looked concerned. "Like I said .."

"I'm trying to pass it off as nothing more than emotional blab, but .." he sighed. "I can't get it out of my head. My mind is telling

me that I shouldn't dwell on it, but it still stings. I think she was honest about some things .."

The Queen looked at him, wondering what Serenity might've said to him that could hurt him so much and finally put an

encouraging hand onto his shoulder. "I don't know what she said. But if it hurts so much, I suggest you talk with her about it

and see if you can work it out. Give her some time, though."

Helios smiled a bit. "I don't think I can stop her from feeling jealous of the shrine maidens, to be honest. I might be able to

calm her down and relax a bit, but her not having suspicions at all is impossible."

The two of them talked a bit longer, wondering if another little vacation or day-trip might lift Serenity's spirits or maybe something

that would take her mind off the pregnancy, the door behind them opened and they saw Serenity standing there, slightly lopsided

from the weight of the stomach and leaning against the door a bit. Her eyes looked red, as if she had cried for a long time and

she shyly look at the ground.

"Helios, .. would .." she muttered barely audible. "want to come in again, .. please?"

The priest smiled a bit and nodded, bowed to the Queen and the princess closed the door after a few seconds.

Helios noticed things he hadn't before - in the week he had been gone, the room had been re-decorated a bit. The sheets were

changed to green ones with white branches drawn on them, the curtains had been changed as well. And more baby things had

been added - actually, the wall to the adjacent room, which was unused, was knocked down and had the frames of a new wall

and door already built up. A changing table, a little twig basket that was like a portable cradle and other things were standing

or lying around. He noticed a lot of baby clothes were folded on the table - they were varied in colors, from blue to green and

yellow, even orange and black. It seemed like the present-givers were making sure to not stick with 'gender bound' colors,

so as to not give it away.

"I .. I wanted to apologize .." Serenity said and Helios turned towards her. "I snapped at you and .. said bad things, but I ..

I really didn't mean them .. not that much .."

She kneaded her hands nervously. "It's just .. I'm scared, what with the birth soon and such things. You left for Elysion

pretty fast and that confused me, it irritated me and I .. I just felt left alone. B-but I know how important your job is!"

Helios said nothing all the time and had a smile hovering over his lips, until he embraced Serenity and held her close.

"I'm sorry that I left so fast. I was worried about Eos and Selene. Continuous prayer takes a lot of energy and I didn't

want them to overexert themselves." he explained. "I never thought you'd be jealous of them. But, really, there is nothing

romantic going on between any of us - they're like sisters to me. And I'm a brother to them. A romantic relationship

isn't between us. That's reserved for you, Chibiusa-chan."

Serenity nodded and giggled at hearing that old nickname of hers from him, she even felt like she could hear the grin in his

voice when he said it. She snuggled up to him and enjoyed his hand running through her hair. "You haven't called me that

in a long time."

"Chibiusa-chan." he repeated and she giggled again. "Or would you prefer it that I call you Serenity?"

"I'm fine with Maiden." the princess told him.

* * *

"You sure I'm not too heavy?"

"Not at all."

The weather had heated up over the last few hours and with the summer already there, the two lovers had migrated onto

the balcony and sat in the armchair, Serenity sideways on Helios' lap. In the distance they could hear the cicada chirping.

"How have you been sleeping lately?" Helios asked when he noticed how Serenity drifted off into a light sleep again,

although she pretended she hadn't.

"Horrible." she replied. "I can't get comfortable. And I'm not used to sleeping without you anymore."

"It's barely been two months that we have." the priest chuckled, counting the almost-two weeks Serenity had spent

in Elysion with him to the total.

"Well, I'm used to it, anyway."

Her voice swung with a superior sense of crankiness and Helios let it be, knowing that he felt much better after a night of

sleep when he was lying next to her. Both had a hand on her stomach, knowing that the baby hadn't kicked for a while

and was lying dormant until it was time for it to come out, but both missed the closeness they felt when Helios had his

head in her lap and listened to the baby moving. It was harder to do that now as Serenity pretty much had no lap anymore.

They kissed for a while, lost in their own little world until a tiny cough made them turn around.

Ami was standing in the doorway of the balcony and had a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Sorry to disturb you two, but there's a tiny exam scheduled. If you want a few more minutes, fine."

Serenity giggled embarrassed and slowly unwound from Helios and stood up, stooping over when she flinched

and immediately the two other people surrounded her.

"Ah, just a short stab." she stuttered, not wanting to worry them.

Ami mumbled to herself and kneeled down, patting or pressing carefully against the baby stomach,

nodding or 'hmm'ing a few times. She then stood back up. "The baby dropped."

"Eh? Isn't it a bit early?"

"No, no. You aren't in labor, Serenity." the doctor calmed her down. "The baby just dropped a tiny bit into the birth canal,

it's still safe and won't suddenly give you any pain. Actually, you should feel a bit free and have an easer time breathing."

Having been getting used to a slight breathing problem for the past few months as the baby took up more and more room,

Serenity realized that she did feel like she could take deeper breaths than before.

After the short exam, where Ami confirmed the baby dropping, the three sat in the room and Ami flipped through the

digital pages of her computer. She hadn't said what she was looking up or searching for, but the two lovers decided to

remain quiet until the professional said something.

"Well, since you got pregnant around late October, I guess you're about in your thirty-seventh week." she finally told them,

tucking the computer away. "You said your period had been irregular, right?"

Serenity nodded.

"Generally the due date is calculated with reference to the last period, but since it was irregular .." Ami sighed slightly. "But your

growth and that of the baby pretty much fit into this week, so the birth should be around .. oh, middle to late July, I think."

Serenity sighed slightly, having wondered if the baby might be born on June 30th and would share it's birthday with it's

mother and grandmother.

After Ami left, the two sat around and felt rather bored. Baby-Preparation books had already been read and the King had just

entered with some workers, continuing to build up the wall again and fitting it around the new door. Serenity sighed and

slowly got up.

"I think I'll go take a bath."

"You sure?" Helios asked, wondering if an incident similar to the previous one would occur.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to keep the water warm but not hot." she said and then smirked slightly. "If you want to make

absolutely sure, we could take a bath together."

It was something they hadn't done before and the priest's cheeks flushed a deep shade of pink within a second,

a very strong contrast to his pale complexion. "Um, no. No, you go ahead. I'll trust you to watch out."

The princess giggled as she walked to the bathroom and closed the door, letting the water stream into the tub and

held her hand under the tab for almost a minute to make sure the water wasn't too hot.

* * *

The loud noise of the workers doing their job had subsised within an hour, they had worked incredibly fast and

the priest stared at the finished wall. It still needed to be plastered and then painted, but they said they'd take care of

that the next day and it would be done within two days.

"Helios?" Serenity called calmly from the bathroom.

It didn't sound urgent or worried, so the priest thought that maybe she wanted to ask him to get something for her,

perhaps a book to read. So he opened the door slowly and entered. "Yes?"

Sitting in the tub with her hair held up again, the princess looked rather embarrassed.

"Could you help me a bit to get out? Getting in is easy, but out .." she admitted and sighed.

Helios nodded and, while Serenity held onto the shower rod with one hand, supported her back and other arm slightly

until she stood up in the tub. Slipping slightly, she got out and dripped water onto the bathmat.

"Thank you."

Helios just smiled slightly and handed her the towel and she started drying off.

He couldn't help but notice just how much she had changed over time. He hadn't seen her naked for a while, except

when she had fallen the few months back - but the changes were still obvious. Aside from her stomach having gotten

huge, it surely obscured her feet and half of her calves in her perspective, but he noticed a few very fine freckles

on her arms and shoulders and neck. Even a pimple here or there had appeared on her face, but they were not

in plain sight as they were slightly obscured by her bangs. Her breasts had gotten bigger as well, almost doubling

in their size and the aereolas had gotten darker - all to prepare the milk with which she would feed the child after birth.

"Mh?" Serenity looked at him while drying her face. "Something wrong?"

Realizing suddenly that he was ogling her, he flushed and coughed slightly.

"Ah, yes, dinner will be brought in a few minutes, the maids said." Helios stuttered and turned on his heel to leave the room.

True enough, dinner was brought and Serenity, probably lured by the delicious smell, had hurried to dress and appeared at

the little table shortly afterwards.

While eating, Helios watched her and couldn't help but notice something. "I thought you hated carrots." he said and yet

he noticed with what ease she was eating them, mixed in with the other vegetables in the rice.

"Makoto makes them taste differently, so I can eat them." she explained. "I still don't _like_ eating them, but everybody says

I have to, so .."

The priest smirked at that almost childish dislike of hers, but decided to let it be. After all, everybody had something they

just plain didn't like or didn't want to eat. He also noticed that she almost fell asleep during the last few bites, so

they went to bed almost immediately after dinner.

Lying on her side with Helios behind her, Serenity still had trouble falling asleep. The weight of the stomach was in the

way - it was too dangerous and uncomfortable to lie on her back all the time, but lying on her sides meant the weight

pulling her down slightly and it even hurt a little. So she had been given a Pregnancy Pillow - it was a long and slightly

wide foam rubber thing that she half lay on during the night, as it lifted the stomach a bit if the pillow was underneath.

Helios, who also couldn't fall asleep so easily, stared at his maiden's neckline, the smooth curve it made to her shoulders

and used a finger to carefully trace it. She squirmed slightly, but liked it and he knew that he wasn't really waking her,

so he didn't stop.

"You astound me, Maiden." he finally said and lay his arm over her, pulling her closer. "You seem so sure of everything."

"Sure?" she asked sleepily.

"About the pregnancy and everything. So knowledgable and calm."

Serenity turned her head slightly towards him and stared in surprise. "Calm? And sure? Quite the opposite, Helios!

I'm .. I'm pretty scared, actually. There's a lot to think about and to consider. I only seem like that to you because

I tried to read everything up and learn it before .."

Helios smiled slightly, nuzzling her cheek with the tip of his nose.

"I see. Actually, I'm a bit sad that I missed the first part of the pregnancy." he confessed, having felt rather

excluded or even shoved away because he hadn't known earlier.

"You didn't really miss much .." Serenity admitted. "Mostly morning sickness, pain and barely anything exciting.

It started to be really fun after I told you. But don't feel too bad about it," she smirked slightly. "when we have our

second child, you'll be the first to find out and experience everything with me!"

The priest blushed at her words, the prospect of having another, or maybe even a third, child.

* * *

"Sex."

Helios, carrying a small tablet with teacups on it, stumbled slightly at the word and quickly lay the tablet onto

the table so as not to spill anything. He kept his back to the two ladies and busied himself in slow motion to

get everything ready.

July was almost over and the due date of the baby had passed a while ago, much to the disappointment of

everyone. But nobody was more disappointed - or even slightly annoyed - than Serenity, who had a pinched

look in her face. She was starting to get sick of carrying around the extra weight all the time, to continue to

follow the diet - and she was told to keep it up while nursing - and she finally wanted the baby out.

Ami had come in a while ago, telling them that the baby was fully matured - lungs, heart and other

organs were ready to start their job and nothing whatsoever was wrong with the baby. It just hadn't come out yet.

Despite Serenity having complained about feeling labor pains the past few weeks, she was told that they were not

the real kind as these remained the same strength and didn't change their length of time between them.

So now, Serenity had asked Ami if there was anything that she could do to forcefully induce labor.

Neither of them had actually expected that answer!

"What?" the princess asked flatly.

"Sex might trigger contractions and induce labor." Ami explained in a matter-of-fact voice. "The prostaglandins in

the semen are what can start it all. 'Bathing' your cervix in it could even break the membrane and release

the amnotic fluid the baby is surrounded in - an orgasm could also trigger contractions and-"

"Stop, stop." Serenity interrupted her, her cheeks the same color as her hair. "A-any other way, maybe?"

"Well .. walking and some other standing exercises can push the baby further into the birth canal.

You could also try eating spicy food that contain garlic or cumin, although I don't really believe that will work."

"Ah."

Ami got up and pushed her glasses up a bit. "You could try any of that, but I wouldn't force anything too much.

At some point, nature will take it's course and who knows, there might be a reason why the baby's taking longer."

She said goodbye and left, Helios finally bringing over the tea and carefully avoiding the girl's eyes, wondering

if she would comment on his red cheeks.

A few days later, in another sleepless night for the princess, she lay on her side and drew little patterns with her

finger on the sheet. The warm air blew into the room, nobody had bothered to close the balcony doors in the

warm weather.

"Helios?" she said softly, wondering if he was awake. "about what Ami said a few days ago, about .. about sex

inducing labor .. you .. you wanna try it?"

Her face felt hot and the silence was so long, she knew even before she turned over that Helios was fast asleep.

Feeling slightly envious, she cuddled up to him. Ami's words had stuck with her and Serenity had to admit to herself,

the suggestion of having sex did sound tempting. Ever since her stay in Elysion where she intially slept with him,

they hadn't .. and, she blushed as she admitted it to herself, she had wanted to sleep with Helios over the last

few months, but she had thought it would be weird or even a bit dangerous for the baby.

But Ami had told her it wasn't ..

* * *

Again she felt the slight twinges and stabs she had started to ignore.

Over the last few days she had kept having these pains and knew they were the fake labor pains,

which annoyed her as - scared as she was of the birth - she really wanted to stop being pregnant now.

"Maiden," Helios said and kneeled before her, having noticed the pinched look again. "are you alright?"

"I'm fine." she sighed and thought of going onto the balcony for a while, so she got up slowly.

Suddenly, she flinched and doubled over, kneeling on the floor and feeling wet and slightly sticky between

her legs, excess liquid already splattering onto the floor.

"Maiden?"

Clenching her fist into her lover's jacket, she gritted her teeth as the pain became worse and made her

feel faint. In a few seconds it would be over, she thought, but it kept going for almost a minute until it stopped.

Lifting her slightly, Helios helped her straigthen up, but the pain started again - stronger this time.

"Helios ..!" Serenity gasped and tried to breathe calmly. "I think it's coming ..!"

Knowing what she meant, and now noticing the puddle on the ground, he rang for a maid who appeared almost instantly

and ordered her to get the doctor. Carefully, Serenity sat down onto her bed and continued to cling to Helios,

who was trying to remain calm and to keep her calm, too.

Ami burst into the room, followed by the maid who had fetched her and two other maids, who were going to assist her.

Taking a few minutes to examine Serenity, Ami made her lie down and timed the pain and breaks between them.

"She's in labor." Ami nodded and turned to Helios. "Go tell the King and Queen and the girls. I'll take care of Serenity."

The priest nodded and dashed off to find the reigning royals.

The first person he actually found was Minako, who - when hearing the news - shrieked happily and ran off to tell

her friends, while Helios was still looking for the King and Queen.

Almost fifteen minutes later, the royals, the Queen's and the Princess' personal guardians were standing or sitting

in the long hallway in front of Serenity's room. Helios was feeling distinctly uncomfortable, leaning against the wall,

and wished he was inside with his maiden.

Loud screams, muffled moans or strict orders were the only things they heard and seemed to make it all worse

for them, as they weren't sure what was going on and their minds were in overdrive. Hours and Hours went by

where nothing seemed to change for them, everything seemed like it was on hold - only changed positions or

nervous walking around showed that time passed.

"Sure is taking long .." Makoto sighed when she glanced at her watch and saw that it was past midnight.

"It's her first child, it takes longer." the Queen giggled, hiding her nervousness well.

Night was over the entire kingdom, even the ones waiting for the birth to finish had fallen asleep wherever they

were standing or sitting or, in Helios' case, sitting on the ground with their legs tucked in. The screams had

subsided a while ago, but the door still didn't open and his thoughts were circling over things that he was trying

hard not to think of.

Maybe something had gone wrong, maybe his maiden was in grave danger or even the baby - maybe it was horribly sick

or had a disability. Trying to shut his mind off, Helios wondered if he should've told the shrine maidens - they were his

family, surely they wanted to be here for the birth but everything had happened fast and ..

A short, high pitched scream came from the room and then everything was quiet again.

Like a signal, everybody woke up or lifted their heads, Helios scrambled off the floor, staring at the door and waiting

for something to happen. It took several minutes for the door to open and there stood Ami, her doctor's coat thrown off

and slightly sweaty, but with a big smile on her face.

"Mother and baby are doing just fine." she announced and almost defeaning squeals and congratulational

words were yelled, making her words hard to hear. "He weighs 4200 gramms and is perfectly healthy. If you want to

congratulate her you can go inside, but try to not be too loud."

Everybody entered, except Helios who was rooted to the ground in shock and awe, a wave of conversation took place

in the other room. The two maids who had helped out left, carrying away several towels, sheets and hot water, looking

positively exhausted and yet very happy.

Finally, everybody came out again and grinned slightly at the still standing priest.

"What were you waiting for? Get in there." Makoto said cheerfully, making room but the priest didn't move.

It was like his body and brain had been detached, although he knew that he should and wanted to move, his body didn't

follow and so he just stood there. The King finally stepped next to the priest and gave him a slight push, making him

stumble. Helios' cheeks flushed a pink color and he scratched the back of his head before he sighed and awkwardly

and slowly entered the room.

Serenity was lying on her bed, fitted with new sheets, and a thin blanket thrown over herself. Her back was propped up

against several big pillows and she held the baby in one arm, holding it's tiny hand with her own.

After a few steps in the room, the door was closed from outside and Helios continued to force himself to step closer

to the bed, not remembering the last time he had felt this awkward.

"J-Jo .." he said, wondering what sort of thing that was to say.

"It's a boy!" Serenity looked at him and smiled.

She was sweaty, rather red in the face, but she looked happy and exhausted, calm and excited - all at once.

She scooted a bit to the side and, Helios seeing the sign, smiled even wider when the priest sat down on the edge.

The baby was barely longer than a loaf of bread, it was wrapped in some blankets to keep warm. It had it's eyes closed

and made little sucking noises with his mouth, a few stray black hairs on his head. What fascinated or surprised Helios

the most was just how small his hands were. He wondered how small his feet were, if his hands were already minuscule.

"Heh," Serenity giggled embarrassed. "I did it."

"Ah, you did."

Watching him, Serenity took his hand and placed it onto the baby's head and Helios felt how warm it was,

feeling it squirm slightly and then saw how his expression relaxed and the baby fell asleep. The two new parents looked

at each other and Helios bent down to kiss her.

"Thank you."

* * *

Another long chapter, more birth information.  
I had never heard of pregnancy pillows before, they seemed rather like dumb inventions to me - like Nursing Covers!  
But they are pretty handy.  
I might even make a chapter of Chibiusa's stay in Elysion, like a prequel to this.  
But I'll probably do some short One Shots beforehand.  
Also, the maenads are never officially given names, but it seems popular to name them Eos and Aurora.  
I opted for Eos and Selene, as those are the mythology names of Helios' sisters. No, they are not really related in this story, just a metaphor.


End file.
